Harper Learns
by Jaimi
Summary: The sequel to Teaching Trance.
1. Chapter 1

Harper Learns  
By: Jaimi

  
  
Rated: R (for swearing)  
  
Disclaimer: Nothing and no one that appears on Andromeda belongs to me. They belong to Gene Roddenberry, Tribune Entertainment and all the other lucky people like that.   
  
Author's Note: A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to Nevermore for Beta Reading this and giving very helpful suggestions  
and advice. It went from being in pretty sad shape, to well, this (not bad)! Hope you like it. Please R&R!  
  
Trance watched with sad eyes as Harper worked diligently on his latest project. Of course that wasn't the sad part. The sad part was his obvious avoidance of her, and the hurt and betrayal that still shone strongly in his beautiful blue eyes. He'd refused to acknowledge her presence when she walked into engineering. It was the same today as it had been for the past three days.   
  
He hadn't said one word to her, and the crew had noticed. They questioned Trance, offered to talk to him for her, but she refused. She insisted it was her problem, and hers alone. It would only alienate Harper further if the rest of the crew were to get in between them. She didn't want that. Harper needed somebody, and if it wasn't her then she would be damned before she came between him and the rest of his friends.   
  
She leaned back against the smooth steel of a bulkhead, waiting, hoping, but always knowing she would get nothing from him. She sighed, thinking to herself, wondering how she was ever going to repair the damage she'd done to their once-perfect friendship. A single tear slipped down her cheek, unnoticed to her.   
  
Harper noticed, as he watched her reflection in the dull gleam of a metal cover he was putting back into place. His heart ached to reach to her, to wipe the tear from her beautiful face and kiss her sadness away. However, the thought of what she'd done came rushing back, and the fleeting look of sympathy vanished. It was replaced by the blank mask that everyone had grown accustomed to the past few days, but intensely disliked. Gone were his sly comments and witty words. The only jokes told were those by Dylan and Beka, both whom lacked Harper's comedic flavor. The atmosphere was tense aboard Andromeda, and no one knew how to fix it.   
  
Dylan's voice interrupted their straying thoughts. "Harper and Trance, we need you on the bridge, NOW!"   
  
Harper jumped to his feet, and with barely a sideways glance he headed for the door. Feeling thoroughly defeated by things she could not control, Trance sighed deeply and slowly struggled to her feet, only to slip on a stray tool Harper had left behind, falling right back down again. She tried to hide a sob, as the past few days caught up with her at this, and she gave up. She buried her face in her knees, crying quietly after the door hissed shut.   
  
Harper stopped at the door, hearing the clatter of some tool he'd left lying around. He turned his head to see a distraught Trance, legs and tail at different angles, leaning back on her hands. Pain pinched at his heart as she sobbed, pulling her long legs up, and wrapping her arms around her knees, face hidden by her arms. The door hissed shut after no move was made of him to leave. He willed himself to turn away and leave her there; she was a big girl, she could get up by herself, and she didn't deserve his help... But at the sight of her shoulders shaking with silent sobs, his hardened exterior crumbled. He couldn't do it. Despite all he'd been through in his life, and even the recent bout of anguish, his heart hadn't hardened enough...it probably never would. Beneath that tough, standoffish cover of his beat the heart of a kind, caring person. True, he'd let few people in, and had truly cared for very few in his life. He was a good person who wouldn't turn his back on someone who was suffering. And it just so happened that the someone who was suffering was someone whom he cared for more than words could say, and he hated that.   
  
Why? She'd hurt him. For no valid reason she hurt him. She'd betrayed him, but he couldn't hate her, he just couldn't. He could ignore her, pretend she wasn't there, that he didn't care... but it was an act, a well cemented act. He could never stop loving her, or the others. If it should kill him, he never could.   
  
He banged his fist into the broad archway, frustrated at his lack of control. A few more steps and he could do it... but he couldn't. He turned back toward her, taking deep breaths, careful to avoid her eyes.   
  
Trance jumped at the sound of flesh and bone connecting with metal. She looked up to see a frustrated Harper standing there, then he turned toward her, eyes on the ground. He slowly made his way over. She stared in shock as he offered her his hand. After a moment, she tentatively lifted her hand to his and he carefully pulled her to her feet, kicking the offending tool out of the way. Then he gave her a gentle shove toward the door. She said nothing, afraid of ruining this small advance, and continued on to the bridge, Harper following behind her.   
  
*****************************************************************************   
  
Dylan said nothing as he watched with interest as his two youngest crewmembers walked onto the bridge together... or relatively so. Harper was trailing behind, but it was the closest he'd come to being near Trance in the last few days. Dylan sighed, frustrated. He hated what had happened between the two, whatever it was. The silence between them was unnerving; he was so used to the friendly bickering or whispered endearments. Harper's cocky flare had all but vanished, and Trance's normally peppy nature had dulled. Her eyes were always sadly trained on the blonde engineer, seemingly waiting for the old Harper to pop back at any moment, but accepting the fact that he wouldn't shine through.   
  
They approached him, looking expectantly for him to tell them what was up.   
  
"Took your time did you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.   
  
He wasn't really mad, but it would be so nice if his ship was run in partial order once in a while. He knew he had more of a chance restoring the Commonwealth without hassle than getting his rag tag crew to act like...well, a crew...at least a High Guard crew anyway. He sighed, with a slight smile. Despite that, he cared for them all. They each added something to his life, and he felt better knowing he wasn't alone in this strange time. He had these people whom he could proudly call his friends.   
  
Harper looked about to answer when Trance piped up, "Sorry, sir. It was my fault, it won't happen again."   
  
Harper looked at her perplexed, then shook his head.   
  
Dylan smiled, "You don't have to call me "Sir," Trance, I thought we talked about that. Don't worry about it, I'm in too good a mood to be mad."   
  
"Why?" Trance asked for both of them.   
  
"Well, another planet has agreed to sign the Charter. They weren't signed before the fall of the Commonwealth, but I guess we were able to convince them this time around. They're sick of the wars as well."   
  
Trance smiled, her first true smile in the past three days.   
  
"Oh Dylan that's wonderful." She leaned forward to hug him. He gladly accepted, with a laugh.   
  
"Yes, it is. We're doing it ladies and gents, slowly but surely."   
  
Harper couldn't help the twinge of jealousy as Dylan embraced his... his what? Girlfriend? He mentally shook himself. Not anymore. His body tingled, wanting so much to be in Dylan's place, even with it only being a hug between friends.   
  
He forced a smile as Dylan released Trance and looked at him happily. Just because he was miserable didn't mean the rest of his friends had to be.   
  
"Yeah boss, that's great. Congratulations."   
  
"Thank you Mister Harper, but I do believe my crew was a vital help."   
  
They both smiled, knowing they never would have been part of this wild dream if it weren't for Dylan, but neither said anything, just nodded. They may help him, but they wouldn't be doing this without him.   
  
"Well, that said, we're all gonna have a big meal tomorrow night. Rommie is cooking, so it should be pretty good...at least it's not me cooking anyway."   
  
They both couldn't help but snicker, well aware of their captain's cooking talents, or lack thereof. Dylan glared at them for a few moments before turning his narrowed eyes on Beka and Rev. The two of them were also attempting to hide their laughter as they pretended to be interested with whatever was on the screen in front of them.   
  
"We gonna have a big dinner every time a planet signs?" Harper asked, with a grin.   
  
So far, after every signing, and even after the odd official meal with the actual signees, when everyone left and it was just the crew again, they celebrated with a dinner. Turns were taken in the cooking department.   
  
"Yeah, I guess so. Kind of made it into a tradition haven't we?" Dylan replied, turning his attention back to his youngest crewmembers.   
  
Trance nodded happily, "That's good, we need solid traditions on board. Things we can always count on never changing." The moment the words were out of her mouth she regretted them, but Dylan didn't seem to notice as he agreed and then turned to answer a question from Rev.   
  
Trance looked at Harper, guilt written clearly on her face. She felt like a complete hypocrite right then. Harper stared evenly at her, the same look in his eyes from the past three days returning. She ducked her head, then raised her eyes back to his. She opened her mouth to speak, but he roughly shook his head, not wanting to hear her say 'I'm sorry,' and he stalked off the bridge.   
  
Trance sighed sadly and took one last look around the bridge before heading to her quarters. If only he understood...   
  
*****************************************************************************   
  
Trance rounded a corner quickly and nearly ran into Harper, who not only seemed to be seething, but was also quite obviously waiting for her.   
  
She took a step back, alarmed by his furious state.   
  
"What the hell was that?"   
  
She looked at him wide eyed for a moment, then said quietly the only thing she could say. "Sorry."   
  
"SORRY? What the fuck Trance? You tear me heart out and then you stand there happily pronouncing how wonderful solid traditions are, and things never changing and all that other CRAP!"   
  
She narrowed her eyes, "It's not crap Harper, I just..."   
  
"Just what? Only feel it should apply when suitable for you? You know, I knew we shouldn't have taken on the...the relationship we had. I knew you didn't know what love is. You thought you'd just take this stupid human for a ride, right? Have your fun then drop him like a bad habit? I'll bet the men of your species are the real 'tradition' keepers right? Or do they dig the whole love em' dump em' thing, huh? Is that the big dirty secret about your people? They're arrogant, self-righteous, think they can play with human emotions, huh?" Harper's blue eyes blazed, daring her to deny it.   
  
Trance stared at him in shock, tears brimming in her eyes. At his last comment she raised her hand to slap him, but knowing his hurtful words would gouge a reaction, he grabbed her wrist before she could strike him. He pushed her back against the corridor wall, leaning in close, breathing hard. He held her wrist tightly, but she didn't budge as he stared into her eyes, his narrowed as he hissed out, "Is that it?"   
  
She willed the tears away as she stared back, and jutted her chin out in defiance.   
  
"I'm sorry I hurt you Harper, but don't you dare judge me or my people based on that. I never wanted... I didn't... but I can't... okay? I just can't."   
  
He gazed at her confused but still angry. "Just tell me. Tell me why."   
  
"I..." She couldn't...he would never understand. It was better this way. So she settled for the only thing left, as much as it killed her, it was all she had. "You're right," she sighed in defeat. "I don't know what love is...I'm not in love with you." She tore her eyes away from the new flood of pain filling his normally bright, gentle blue eyes. "I'm sorry, I thought I did." She whispered.   
  
He stared at her in disbelief as he pulled away, releasing her wrist which she immediately began rubbing feeling back into. He hadn't meant what he'd said to her, those hurtful words were meant to get her to open up...but this was not what he'd expected. Not at all.   
  
"I... I... Just do me a favor, and stay away from me Trance, because no matter what, I think I have some sickness, because I still love you...I wouldn't want you to catch it." He sobbed out, angry, hurt, confused, betrayed...feeling like he'd lost his best friend...and he had.   
  
She began sobbing at these words. It hurt so much, he was being so honest with her, and she... What could she do? Nothing. She slid to the floor sobbing as the familiar sound of the love of her life walking away in pain again echoed down the now empty corridor.   
  
***********************************************************************   
  
Tears coursed down Harper's cheeks unchecked as he shoved an unlucky stray chair over in his quarters. He let his frustrations out, swiping equipment from a tabletop, punching his fist against the hard steel wall. Dammit, how could he have been so stupid? He should have known, should have listened to his gut instinct...should have known better than to think he was good enough, that he deserved someone as amazing as Trance. She was way out of his league. He belonged to the bar girls and the sleazy hookers.   
  
He cried out in both physical and emotional pain as he broke a glass in his hand, holding as tightly as the clenching pain in his heart. He broke down, sobbing uncontrollably, sinking to his knees. It hurt so much. After losing so many people in his life, he had shut himself down. By letting the rest of the crew in, especially Trance, he had realized how much he'd missed the feelings of love and belonging.   
  
***********************************************************************   
  
Trance lay among her sea of blue silk, crying softly to herself. What was she going to do?   
  
*Nothing* She started at the sound of her father's advisor's voice in her head. And spun around to see him emerge from nowhere. *You are to come back home now, Mistress, your father feels these humans are having ill effects on you.*   
  
*What? That's not fair, he said...*   
  
*He said you could journey a bit of the galaxy for a while, but you were to come back when he beckoned and marry whomever he felt would make a good husband for you. And I should think you'll be pleased with his choice.*   
  
*Marry? I'm not marrying anyone...from...from our world...*   
  
*Young lady, you'll do as your father wishes...* He paused, looking at her for a moment, while accessing her memories from her time with Beka and the others. *Oh dear, what were you thinking? You can't be involved with a human, it is against our entire being... They drove us out, young one. You must forget all about these people. I noticed your father in quite a foul mood when he asked me to bring you home cursing humans and their devious minds. No wonder, it seems one has entrapped you as well in his vile web...*   
  
Trance bristled, "How dare you!" She shouted out loud, tears dried from her eyes, burning anger replaced them. "You can't talk about my friends like that, about Harper like that. You don't know them or him. I thought you of all our people would...would..." Fresh tears spilled over. The elder man's expression softened.   
  
*Oh child. I love you as though you were my own. You've always been my favorite. So brave, so independent, but your fascination with other species, with the galaxies, and your constant rebellion against your own people, your father. Well, dear, it's taking a toll on this old fairy. I can't keep covering for you, I can't keep convincing your father to allow you more freedom. Besides dear, you've had your fun. Don't you want to marry and have children? You're by far the most beautiful fairy among our people. Many of the young males have been striving to impress your father...*   
  
Trance made a face, *I don't want to marry any of them.*   
  
*You must, my dear. You have no choice, you know that... You've always known that. You seem to think this human and you could wed, but your father would never allow it. Humans are not worthy of a fairy's love, not since... Not since long ago, when they drove us out, forgot us, carried on and stopped believing in magic, love and harmony. They forced us to leave a planet that had always been our home, and re-settle somewhere far away and hidden. This young man you care so much for will forget you with time, he will give up and move on with his life...*   
  
*But what if he didn't, hmmm? What if... What if he searched for me, and found me... Would you help me convince my father then, to let me leave our world, and be with him and our friends forever?*   
  
The man's green face registered shock. *You would leave your people forever? Dearest, you're immortal, forever is a long time...*   
  
Trance shook her head, her face serious. She looked her old friend and mentor in the eyes. *No, not if I'm not immortal.*   
  
*But...* His eyes widened in realization. *Oh child, you feel such strong love for this human. He could never be worthy of you, or feel the same way for you.*   
  
*How do you know? You don't know him. He does...and he would find me, and come after me... I know it. Please, when he does, will you help me?*   
  
The man sighed sadly, *I fear you have no more than false hope child, but because I care for you so, I will promise you that if he should find you, I will help you. But my dear, please, don't get yourself too worked up. No one... No human has ever found the new world, and certainly no human has risked so much to find it...all for the love of a fairy...*   
  
Trance nodded, but refused to believe that. She had to talk to Harper before she left, she had to get through to him.   
  
*Please, give me an hour. I must say goodbye to my friends.*   
  
The old fairy nodded, smiling. *Always the sweet one, aren't you? These humans were blessed to have you with them. I shall meet you back here in an hour. I don't think your powers are strong enough yet for you to transport yourself back home.*   
  
She nodded, and he disappeared. Quickly, she jumped to her feet and raced out of her quarters.   
  
*********************************************************************   
  
The corridors were dark, night time was simulated aboard the ship. Trance was glad, it made it easier. First she went to see Tyr. The Nietzschean was sound asleep, but even in his sleep he looked ready to fight. She smiled down at him, closing her eyes. She concentrated, and in a soothing voice bid farewell in his mind. He mumbled, and she made out a soft, "Gby grl." She giggled, then turned and left.   
  
Next she went to Rev's room. The Magog was snoring loudly, and Trance had to stifle a laugh as she approached him. She leaned over his curled up frame, lightly hugging him as she entered his mind and said goodbye. From his disgruntled snort, she made out "Don't go..." She smiled sadly, stepping away from him. She would miss them all so much, but Harper could help her. He could. He would. If he wanted to...if he still loved her. She had to believe he did.   
  
Next was Beka. She smiled fondly at her boss and friend. Beka was so good to her. She hated to leave her without a good luck charm. "But I'll be back," she whispered reassuringly in her ear, knowing Beka could hear her but wouldn't wake up. She gently squeezed Beka's hand before heading to Dylan's quarters.   
  
Dylan lay on his stomach, snoring slightly, mumbling in his sleep. "My crew...Beka...our crew...whatever..." Trance smiled, rolling her eyes, she leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on her Captain and friend's temple, sending him an affectionate good bye telepathically before hurrying away as he muttered a little louder.   
  
"Trance?... where?....miss you...." He trailed off as she quietly shut the door.   
  
With a deep breath she headed for Harper's room. She would say goodbye to Rommie just before she left. She didn't want her alerting everyone.   
  
Trance stood looking down at Harper, asleep, sprawled out on his bed. One of his hands was wrapped up tightly by a towel, dried blood showing in blotches. Her brow furrowed in worry as she sat down on the edge of the bed and took his hand in hers. She carefully unwrapped it, mindful not to wake him. She inspected it closely, taking in all the wounded areas before she covered his hand with both hers and closed her eyes in concentration. A soft green light glowed from her hands and a little of her color paled. She was a slightly lighter purple, her energy having been drained from healing her friend. With a gasp, she opened her eyes and inspected his now healed hand. She smiled, then jumped, startled as Harper's voice cut through her thoughts.   
  
"How did you do that?"   
  
She opened her mouth, then shut it. With a sigh, she whispered, "I can't tell you much, but you just have to trust me okay?"   
  
He looked at her oddly, but nodded slowly. She crawled closer to him, on the bed as he sat up, leaning back against the wall, legs crossed. He watched her warily, as she approached. He struggled to appear nonchalant, but his eyes betrayed his nervousness and confusion. His back was rigid, and his gaze darted between her, the wall and his recently healed hand.   
  
She sat next to him, turning to face him. "Harper, I... I don't have much time, and..." She took a deep breath. There was so much she had to tell him, so much he had to understand, and she only had a few minutes left. "I love you!" She blurted out.   
  
He looked at her angrily before getting to his feet and walking away toward the viewport in his quarters. She wasn't surprised, but her time was running short. She got up and ran over to him; his back was turned to her.   
  
"Please?" She begged, pulling his arms from their crossed position over his chest and clutched his hands. He stared down at their entwined fingers, his face once again a blank mask, but he made no move to pull away. "Please just listen...I DO love you, Harper. I do. What I said before was out of fear... For you... But, but there may be a way. I have someone on my side...well, sort of, but only if you come through for me." She suddenly looked sad. "I don't really have a right to expect you to. I've hurt you so much...but Harper, if you love me, if you really want us to be together, there may be a way... Maybe. It's no guarantee. So I guess, it's up to you if you're willing to take the risk. But Harper if you don't love me, I mean, don't ...because even though I'll miss you all, it would never be worth the risk... I mean-"   
  
She was cut off, as Normaf's voice echoed through her mind.   
  
*Your time is up. Come along little one.*   
  
She sighed in frustration. She had to think quick, this was her last chance. "They're making me come home...I don't want to go, but I have no choice... If you find it in your heart to forgive me, then remember this."   
  
Leaning forward she didn't give him a chance to protest as she placed seven gentle kisses on what seemed random areas of his face. Then finally her lips settled on his own and he froze. His mind and body fighting each other in a silent war. The kiss was gentle and sweet. All too soon it was over and she leaned to whisper in his ear. "Even big boys have beauty hidden deep within. You have to believe it's there to find it... To find me."   
  
His body stood rooted to the spot as she stepped away, backing towards the door. Before she turned to go she smiled tearfully at him, "I love you." Then she stepped out of his quarters and the door hissed shut behind her.   
  
Several moments passed as Harper attempted to absorb what had just happened. Trance was leaving? His mind battled itself as a million different thoughts raced through his head. His heart thudded painfully in his chest at the thought of never seeing Trance again. But what did it matter, he didn't care anymore. Why should he? He squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to will away the thoughts of her tender kisses, the feel of her soft curves against him, the memories of her gentle laugh and her thoughtful ways. 'Stop it!' His mind screamed. 'She betrayed you.' Did she? 'Or I am I just to stubborn and to afraid to risk listening to her, to believing her.' The thought was hesitant, almost hopeful. But he quickly banished it. 'I don't care anymore.' With a determined grunt he turned and stalked back to his bed. Plopping down far away from where she had been seated earlier, he silently wished for deep undisturbed sleep to overtake him.   
  
**********************************************************************   
  
"Good bye Rommie!" Trance said, standing in front of the terminal in her quarters, Normaf off to the side.   
  
"Trance? Where are you going? My sensors picked you up running around all night....are you all right? Who's that?"   
  
Trance smiled at the all the questions Rommie was firing at her. No doubt trying to stall her while she woke Dylan.   
  
"I'm all right... I'm going away for a bit." She couldn't say home, it just wasn't anymore, the Andromeda was. "And this is my friend Normaf." Normaf nodded, eyeing the computer terminal with avid curiosity.   
  
"Well... Why? Why are you going away? Are you coming back? When? How long will you be gone?"   
  
Trance laughed half-heartedly, hearing footsteps echoing down the corridor outside.   
  
"You're very good at distracting, Rommie, but I really have to go. Tell everyone I love them, k?" She paused, then whispered, with an affectionate tap on the screen. "Bye!"   
  
And then she was gone. Not two seconds later, the door hissed open and Dylan rushed in.   
  
"Where-? Trance? Rommie where is she?"   
  
Rommie looked distraught. "She's gone."   
  
TBC...  
  
Chapter 2 Coming...ummmm...when I get it written!   
  
Jaimi Copyright@2001


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Another huge Thank You to Nevermore, who's been doing an amazing job beta reading this stuff. Don't you agree?   
  
Chapter 2   
  
Trance refused to speak to her father when she arrived home. She went straight to her room in the western tower, slamming the door shut behind her. Her home was beautiful, and lord knows she'd missed it, but that didn't change the fact that she hadn't wanted to leave her friends. Her father could not have picked a worse time to drag her home.   
  
Harper's eyes had held no promise when she had left. They were blank, displaying no emotion. She sighed as she sat on the ledge of her window, overlooking her father's kingdom. It was very quaint. Elegant and beautiful, but simple. The whole world was like that. Everyone had their role in life. Everyone had a special ability that decided his or her future. Trance's was healing. She was destined to be one of the world's most prominent healers. However, she was also the King's daughter, so she was destined to be Queen of a new kingdom her father would choose for her. As well as the stuffy husband he would no doubt push in her direction.   
  
She smiled at children playing at the edge of the forest. Some were swinging through the trees. The winged ones were flying over the treetops, laughing in proud delight. She had always wanted to be a flier, but she had to be satisfied with being a climber. It was better than nothing. At least should could climb to the top most hidden part of the tallest tree, and daydream. She used to daydream about escaping to far off planets... Now she would daydream about escaping back to her home on the Andromeda, with her friends.   
  
Dream... She suddenly smiled to herself. She was also a gifted dreamer, something she picked up from her mother. With a delighted bounce, she dropped into her bed and leaned back, closing her eyes. She hoped Harper had drifted off to sleep, otherwise this wouldn't work...   
  
Harper grumbled in his sleep, his dreams not yet taking shape, still just swirls of color. Then the image cleared...   
  
_He found himself in Trance's quarters, but it was empty, just like his heart. He sat down on her bed, running his hand over the colorful covers. His heart started to ache, the emptiness begging to be filled. He leaned back on the bed, hoping his dream would fade and he could sleep peacefully.   
  
"Hey you! I didn't think I'd find you here of all places."   
  
He whirled around, onto his side to find Trance sitting perched on the other side of the bed.   
  
"What are you doing here? Or am I dreaming you?"   
  
She giggled. "No, you're not dreaming me. You're dreaming, but I'm really here," she said, leaning over to tap his head. "I'm, uh, dream traveling... If you will."   
  
"Huh?"   
  
She laughed at his expression. Then quieted, remembering the reason she was here. She sighed.   
  
"I mean, I purposely entered your dreams from where I'm sleeping so I could talk to you."   
  
"Oh... Why didn't you just send a message?"   
  
"Besides the fact that you'd probably ignore it? Because I don't want my father knowing and it would take days to reach you. It's not an easy way to communicate. Remember the time Dylan was kidnapped and..." She trailed off, realizing herself that she was stalling. "Anyway, um... I... Well, that is... I,"   
  
Now that she was here, she didn't know what to say.   
  
"Really. That's interesting," Harper quipped with a slight grin. He couldn't help himself, it was too easy.   
  
She stopped short, to glance up at him. Then let herself grin, seeing the smirk on his face. She took a deep breath.   
  
"I miss you already..." She started. "How's your hand?"   
  
"Fine, since you healed it... How did you do that Trance? And why don't you use whatever it is you have more often?"   
  
She smiled sadly. "Well, it drains my energy and there is only so much I can really do... I'm still learning. Also it's not something I want to get around. Healers are in high demand, and people will pay any price to have them kidnapped. I would never let any of you die though, if I could help it."   
  
"I wasn't going to die Trance."   
  
"I know... You WERE asleep."   
  
"Didn't think I'd notice when I woke up that my hand no longer had gashes covering it?"   
  
She shrugged, blushing. "I guess I didn't think about that."   
  
"Hmmm...." He watched her for a while. They both fell silent.   
  
"Why did you do it?" he asked, suddenly.   
  
"Do what?"   
  
"Heal me."   
  
"Because I care about you... I... I love you..."   
  
She cringed, waiting for him to flip out. But he didn't, he just continued to watch her.   
  
Then he said quietly, "Well, then... Why did you leave me?"   
  
She looked up, startled. Then she sighed, again. She wished this would all go away, that she was safely back on the Andromeda, curled up on the couch with Harper, in person, reading a book, or watching a movie... Even a horror sounded good right now. She got up, walked toward the viewport in her bedroom and gazed out at all the twinkling stars and planets.   
  
"Because I had too..."   
  
Harper continued to watch her, his anger slipping away as she began to speak. Her voice was soft and sad. Her tail drooped. She had come back, even if only in his dream...she had come back. And he had never been so glad in his life. He could not help it anymore. He just could not stop the way he felt about her. He knew he was taking a risk, but he figured Trance was worth it. She was worth all the pain and heartache of the universe... That was a hell of a lot. He listened to her as she nervously rambled on.   
  
"I wish to god, things were different. That this had never happened... But it did. And now I have to fix it because I don't wanna stay on my home world. I wanna be with you on the Andromeda, but I need your help. I can't-"   
  
She was cut off, as Harper unexpectedly appeared before her and kissed her, drawing his arms around her waist, pulling her close. Tears of relief rolled down her cheeks.   
  
"How did you do that?" She asked, of his sudden appearance in front of her as he pulled away for a moment.   
  
Then he leaned in, saying in a husky whisper. "This is MY dream babe. I can do anything. Cool, huh? But I guess you already know about that kinda stuff."   
  
She smiled sadly, wiping her eyes. "Nah, I'm not too good at the whole transporting thing."   
  
"Guess not, or you'd be here in person, eh?"   
  
She nodded. "Yeah, except they would come pounding on Andromeda's hangar door demanding I come home."   
  
They both laughed, but their hearts were not in it.   
  
Then Harper asked curiously, "Who's they? And are they the same they I should be afraid of?"   
  
She paused. Then decided she had to take a chance that he would understand, or at least accept.   
  
"Yeah, my father... He's very powerful Harper, and he didn't want me, and still doesn't want me being involved with you... Or any human for that matter. He said if I didn't end our relationship, that he'd kill you. And he could, and still can... And the others. I couldn't risk it. Well, now he wants me to come home, because he thinks 'humans are having an ill effect on me'." She mimicked in a hushed mocking tone. Her eyes burned once again with anger. With a deep breath she continued. "My old friend Normaf was the one that took me home. I was able to convince him to help me if you could at least prove to HIM... How much... How much..."   
  
"I love you." He whispered in her ear.   
  
Tears pricked her eyes as she buried her face in his chest, fighting back a sob. Why couldn't her father just let her be? Why couldn't humans and fairies unite again?   
  
"What do I have to do?"   
  
At these words she clutched him closer, imagining the clean smell of his after-shave that she knew he wore. What did she ever do to deserve him?   
  
"Just... Find me. It sounds impossible, no one ever has found... our world, but you can. I know you can, you just have to believe." She paused. "You don't have to do this Harper. I can't predict the outcome of this one. My abilities are nothing compared to my father's. But I can tell you he respects bravery, honesty and sincerity."   
  
"Do the others..."   
  
"Yeah, they know I'm gone, I said goodbye... Sort of... Harper, I can't stop you from telling them, if you feel they would help you. But Dylan may not want to take time out of his mission for me..."   
  
Harper held her face in his hands. "Do you really not have any idea how much you mean to this entire crew? For someone with obvious telepathic abilities..."   
  
She smiled, "I've never read your minds. I don't believe in doing that unless absolutely necessary."   
  
"Well, you can read my mind anytime baby. You wanna know what I'm thinking right now?"   
  
"I don't need to be a mind reader to figure that out. I'm not as naive as you think."   
  
"Oh really? So this whole time you've known about everything I've been 'teaching' you?"   
  
"Well...yeah. Do you really think I was that naive? That I didn't know?"   
  
"Well, you seemed... Why did you pretend?"   
  
She laughed. "Because I was falling in love with you, and I wasn't sure how else to approach it. I figured your hormones would get the best of you. You'd have to kiss me eventually, and maybe then you would consider me more than just a friend..."   
  
"You did that whole act because you wanted me to kiss you and fall in love with you and you didn't think I would any other way?"   
  
"Well, yeah... That and it was fun, the way you were so sweet, and the way you..."   
  
"You know, it's not nice to lead people on like that."   
  
His face was serious, but his eyes were twinkling with mischief.   
  
She was silent for a moment, realizing that what she had done was in a sense wrong.   
  
"I guess..."   
  
Harper laughed, shaking his head. He pulled her close, burying his face in her hair.   
  
"I'm just teasing you, babe..." Then he pulled away, grinning at her. "But don't do it to anyone else, they may not be as understanding as me."   
  
She smiled, "It doesn't matter, I'm not in love with anyone else."   
  
They smiled at each other, before Trance started at something Harper could not see or hear. She turned her gaze back to him, with a sad smile.   
  
"I have to go now."   
  
Realization hit Harper, and his joking mood vanished. He looked at her longingly. Then with a sigh, he tilted her face to his, and kissed her.   
  
Her heart ached as he deepened the kiss... She never wanted to stop, she never wanted to let go. But she had too. He groaned as she pulled away, but then she turned to rest her head on his shoulder. He held her close, burying his face in her hair as he whispered.   
  
"I'll find you babe, and I'll bring you home. I promise."   
  
With a silent nod, she whispered back, "I know..."   
  
With that she pulled away and turned to leave.   
  
He called after her, "Trance... What are you? Why does your father hate humans so much?"   
  
"I can't tell you... Not yet."   
  
He smiled cockily, "But when I find you and am deemed worthy enough, you'll tell me everything?"   
  
"I will... I promise."   
  
He looked at her seriously, "I love you, Trance."   
  
She smiled tearfully, "I love you too."   
  
Then she stepped out of her quarters and out of his dreams. _   
  
Harper woke with a start. He looked around, finding himself sprawled out on his bed, in his quarters. He wondered briefly if what had happened in the dream was real. He felt a faint tingle run through him, and he knew it had been.   
  
He lay back down, a million thoughts racing through his head, as he began to slowly and painstakingly piece together what he had so far. All he knew for sure right now was that he loved her, and no matter what, he would find her. They had been through hell the past few days, but things were starting to fit together. He was slowly understanding what was happening... What she had been thinking.. And his love for her was only growing stronger.   
  
R&R. Chapter 3 coming....uh...soon. Sure, that's it.   
  
Jaimi Copyright@2001 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 4  
By: Jaimi  
Co-written By: Nevermore  
  
Authors Note: Another huge Thank You to Nevermore for not only Beta Reading this, but also helping me add more to it. I've run into some serious writers block and Norm has really helped me out, adding to the plot and stuff. Please R&R and tell us what you think.   
  
****************************************************************************   
  
Trance woke with a start, and was alarmed to find someone in her room. After a moment, however, she relaxed. She had forgotten the unnecessary luxuries of the palace, of having someone wait on her and clean up after her. Her face wrinkled up in a grimace as memories of servants flooded her mind. She hated being looked after. Before she had left her father had finally relented and told the help to let her do things on her own if she wished. Over the intervening years he had apparently either forgotten, or found new servants that did not know about Trance's well-developed sense of independence. It was probably a combination of both.   
  
"Excuse me," she said gently, speaking to the female from outlined by the hazy light of the rising sun, "but you don't need to worry about that, thank you. I'll take care of it."   
  
"Oh, but Mistress, it is what I do," an unfamiliar voice replied. Just like I thought, Trance concluded, she's new.   
  
"I know, I know," Trance quickly assured the flustered female Firestarter. "It's just that I prefer to look after myself, if you don't mind..."   
  
"But it is what I do for this time," she repeated.   
  
"Well, umm.... Why don't you take a break then and consider the time you're supposed to be in here as extra time for yourself?"   
  
"But his Highness..."   
  
"You let me worry about that. Now go on and relax for a bit."   
  
"Yes, Mistress."   
  
Trance smiled at the servant before climbing off her bed, and sighed in relief as she heard the door shut. Her relief was short-lived, however, as a loud knock sounded at the door. Groaning, Trance went to the door, swinging it open. She was dismayed to see her father standing there. She merely nodded before turning back into her room, not bothering to invite him in. He would take care of that himself. After all, kings did not deign to wait for permission to enter anyone's room.   
  
"Welcome home," he said evenly. Trance shot him a withering look before returning to her earlier perch on the windowsill. "We are going to try once more to be pleasant, daughter," he continued in his monotone voice. "You had best respond properly to it; we will not tolerate your rudeness. Those thrice-damned humans have corrupted you. Even more rebellious then before you left. We never should have let you go."   
  
"That's you trying once more to be pleasant?" Trance asked, wondering if her father had the slightest clue how cold and uninterested his voice sounded. Even Tyr, at his worst, sounded more pleasant. "Well how do you do, too, father?"   
  
"Blast it child, you are an ungrateful one aren't you? What is it you want from me?"   
  
"I simply want you to sound like you care whether I am here or not," Trance suggested, bringing up the one thing that bothered her more than any other. Perhaps if her father began to display some semblance of tenderness she would then address the rest of her laundry list of complaints.   
  
"You should know that we care," her father answered. "It is you that has been indifferent. Remember that you are the one that left us, child. You felt the need to abandon your own people and associate with the mortals. And of all the species to fraternize with, you chose the humans. I would have thought we had taught you greater respect for your heritage... for your family."   
  
"No, you aren't my family," Trance shot back, speaking before she took the time to think about what she was saying. "The people you forced me away from... they're my real family now." She almost gasped at the sound of the words escaping her lips. She had never known herself to be so cruel to anyone, especially her own father. To her surprise, though, and her disappointment, her father never batted an eyelash. He simply stood in impassive silence for several moments, betraying no sign of what he was thinking or whether or not he was going to respond.   
  
"What?" he finally asked. "I am truly disappointed to hear you speak that way. Do you not know that you are far better than these friends of yours, daughter? You are not of their pitiful** mortal** bloodlines. They are nothing to you. There is not even a chance of ancestry, for all the fairies that defied the circle were banished and made mortal almost 10,000 years ago. Their offspring were made sterile. These are true humans that you claim to hold as dear as family. Do you know how that sounds?"   
  
"I may not be blood-related to them, but I love them," Trance shot back, this time knowing exactly what she was saying. She was suddenly reminded of why she had left her home in the first place - the constant fighting with her father, the insatiable thirst to see how others lived, and the longing to find someone... anyone... that could ever truly understand her. "My friends and I love each other, we look out for each other, and we are there for each other through everything. Family goes so much deeper than blood, father, but you wouldn't know about that now would you."   
  
"Mind your tongue child," the king stated. His voice held the air of authority, just as it always had in the past when Trance began to push too hard. "Remember that I am your father."   
  
"You are the one that gave me life, yes, but that is all," Trance shot back venomously. Once again her mouth began to speak more quickly than she could think, and part of wondered where she had learned to be so cruel. "You don't care about me, father, and I really don't think you ever did. All that matters to you is that you look good, you remain powerful, and you marry me off to some good prospect of a husband to help expand your family's reign over this planet. I swear that sometimes I think you had me just so you had something to compete against the southern king's daughter. For a sophisticated race, you sure are petty. And you have the nerve to criticize the humans..."   
  
If the pattern of Trance's argument with her father had seemed overly familiar, its ultimate outcome did not. She never saw it coming as her father's hand streaked through the air and slapped her. Hard. Perhaps the worst part of the whole scene was that when her mind had finally caught up with what she had said, she could hardly blame him. Trance truly felt she had deserved it. Trance's only real reaction was to reel back in shocked surprise, holding her hand to her face. Her father was seething as he pointed a finger at her. He made to say something, but with a shake of his head, he walked away, blue tail lashing behind him.   
  
As the door slammed shut, she winced. She should not have said that, and she knew it. Trance's heart ached with the guilt of what she had said, but at the same time she was so angry about what her father had done. It was not simply the fact that her father treated either as a trophy or as a child, seeming to alternate between the two on an hourly basis. It was so much more, though she knew it all came down to the provincial attitude of her people, an attitude her father not only shared, but encouraged. It was what kept the faeries apart from the humans, and thus what kept her apart from Harper.   
  
She took a deep breath and, still holding her hand to her cheek, she eased the sting and cleared the offending bruise that had formed. Damn that had hurt, more emotionally than physically. To some degree, Trance had always been at odds with her parents, especially her father, but they had never struck her before.   
  
She was not surprised to hear another, softer knock at her door only moments later. She knew who it was. "Come in, Mother." At least she has the good taste to wait until being invited, Trance mused. Then again, she always had a bit too much taste.   
  
The door opened, revealing Trance's elegant, graceful mother. She was a pink dreamer, a flier and every bit as beautiful as the Queen of the North was expected to be. Her mother offered a smile that did not quite reach her eyes.   
  
"Hello dear, it is good to have you home. Perfect timing too. Your father has chosen a husband for you. I think you will be pleased. You remember Randex, don't you? That gifted Firestarter from the Flint family? He really is an excellent teacher and a very nice young man."   
  
Trance stared at her mother in disbelief. She had not been home more than two hours and already there was talk of her marrying... Randex? She groaned inwardly. He was such an arrogant, pompous... What would Harper say? ...jackass. Yes, that was right.   
  
"But we can discuss that all later," her mother continued, seemingly oblivious to the reaction that Trance had felt she had displayed plainly enough. "My how pretty you are, even more so than when I last saw you. No wonder all these young suitors have asked for your hand."   
  
"Hmph, I highly doubt my beauty is the reason for their interest, mother," Trance commented as she turned to look back out the window at the beautiful green landscape. "They all just want to have the small kingdom that comes as a benefit of taking me off father's hands."   
  
"Oh dear, that is inevitable," her mother replied in an apologetic tone. Is she apologizing for the situation or the unabashed greed of these guys? Trance wondered. "But look what good it will do for you. Why, all the rest of the ladies are decidedly jealous of your beauty. Just the other day, Floreda overheard Helesa saying how you were so lovely, and it put quite a damper on her sister's daughter who..."   
  
Trance sighed, and attempted to tune her mother out. She had heard this all before. Her father had always seemed to live for political power, while her mother focused her life on gaining social stature. Trance fought hard to remind herself that not all of her people were so shallow. Some held on to the ways that had existed millennia earlier, when the faeries were still united with humans on Earth. Trance could always tell these keepers of the old ways on sight - they were simply more grounded, somehow. Just as humans still lived, these faeries concerned themselves with more than gratifying their urges for acquisition, and instead lived in harmony with each other and their world, as they had once taught the humans to do so long before.   
  
Now that it was just the fairies on their new world, and they had no outside interest, things had turned for the worse. Their innate talents provided for all of their material needs, so most of her people relied on petty, material interests to occupy their increasingly narrowed minds. Trance had not been alive during the times with humans, but she had heard the tales, and it made her ache for the reunion of human and fairies. They completed each other, somehow... they needed each other.   
  
"Anyway, come along now dear," her mother said, causing Trance to leave her reverie behind and drift back into the conversation. "I came here to bring you with me to meet with Randex and his family. He is positively about to burst. He was so thrilled to meet your father's approval."   
  
"I'll bet he was," Trance mumbled.   
  
Her mother smiled tightly. "Come dear, I do not want to be late."   
  
Trance did not try to disguise her aggravation as she outwardly groaned. She did not want to anger her parents any more though, if she was to get what she wanted. She stood up and reluctantly started to head out the door.   
  
"Where are you going?" her mother asked, her eyes wide with surprise.   
  
"I thought you wanted to go meet with Randex and his family," Trance answered, as if the answer should have been obvious.   
  
"I do, but you are not going in that are you?" The tone of her mother's voice made it obvious that 'No' was the only acceptable response.   
  
Trance glanced down at the cargo pants and blue sweater top she was wearing, a favored ensemble she had bought during her time with Beka when they dealt with Sam Profit.   
  
"What's wrong with it?" Trance asked, though she already knew the answer. The same part of her that had caused her to lash out at her father's small-mindedness now made her challenge her mother's overdeveloped sense of etiquette.   
  
This time it was her mother's turn to groan. "Oh dear, not only your attitude, they have also ruined your elegant dress sense," the woman lamented. She stood and walked to Trance's large wardrobe, and rifled through it for several minutes before pulling out a simple, but elegant, blue dress. She held it out to her. "Here child, wear this."   
  
Trance stared at it for a moment, finally snatching it from her mother's grasp. She then walked behind her folding change room and slipped it on.   
  
"There," she said, re-emerging. "Can we go now?"   
  
"Hmmm." Her mother reached forward, removing Trance's hair clips, and letting her hair fall loose to frame her face. She then ran her fingers through it, styling it with practiced ease. "There, now we can go. Deny it all you wish, my daughter, but I know deep down inside you'll just love Randex. I think it will most certainly be love at first sight for the both of you."   
  
Rolling her eyes, Trance turned and stormed out of her room. Her mother followed at a smoother pace, ever graceful, humming a pleasant tune that caused Trance's nerves to become even more thoroughly frayed.  
  
More coming....eventually.   
  
Jaimi Copyright@2001


	4. Chapter 4

Authors Note: Thanks again to Nevermore for Beta Reading and adding in some phrases that made it come together better. Look for actual whole chapters of this written by Nevermore. It should speed things up and add to the story, so that should please ya'll.   
  
Chapter 4   
  
Dylan paced back and forth in Trance's quarters, his face etched with concern as he spoke aloud all of the questions that were racing through his mind. "What did she say? Did she tell you where she was going? Why she was going? Anything? Did she mention-"   
  
"Dylan!" Rommie finally cut in loudly. He stopped abruptly, staring expectantly at the hologram that had interrupted him. His gaze softened at the upset look on her face. She cared.   
  
"I mean, Captain Hunt. I- I don't know. I tried to get something, ANYTHING, out of her, but she wouldn't... You know how secretive she is."   
  
Dylan sighed, nodding. "Yeah, I know, Rommie. I'm sorry." He paused. "Let's get the others together, and see what they think. Tell them to meet me on Obs deck in five minutes."   
  
"Yes, sir."   
  
"And Rommie... You've called me Dylan before, you know it's okay." A soft smile spread across the captain's features, momentarily erasing his preoccupied expression.   
  
She looked a little uncomfortable, but then she smiled. "I know, Captain, but I shouldn't have shouted."   
  
"Rommie, I know I was babbling. I wouldn't have listened to you any other way."   
  
Rommie returned Dylan's smile before he headed off to the Observation Deck, and Rommie's image disappeared.   
  
**********************************************************************************   
  
"Where's Harper?" Dylan barked.   
  
The others shrugged, still unsure of what was going on. Beka reclined on the nearest bench, rubbing her eyes to chase away sleep and the remnants of a very odd dream about Trance vanishing in thin air.   
  
"Rommie?" Dylan asked, knowing that his ship was aware of the location of every crewmember at all times.   
  
"He's coming."   
  
"I assume this is important, Dylan," the Nietzchean muttered. "So why don't we just get right down to business?"   
  
Dylan just glanced at him before turning his attention to Harper as he entered Obs.   
  
"It's okay Harper, we're in no hurry here. You know, I only ever call EMERGENCY meetings for fun."   
  
Harper looked at him, as if just noticing he was there. Dylan rolled his eyes, then turned his attention to everyone.   
  
"Now that we're all here, I can get right to the point..."   
  
"Wait, Trance isn't here yet," Beka put in tiredly.   
  
"I know, that's the point."   
  
They all looked at him like he had lost his mind, except for Harper. No one noticed, however.   
  
"What do you mean?" Beka asked slowly, watching Dylan carefully, almost suspiciously. She could not help the incredible protectiveness she felt for her crew.   
  
"I mean she's gone. She left a few minutes ago. Apparently she-"   
  
"-disappeared into thin air." Beka finished for him.   
  
Rev and Tyr looked thoughtful of this, recalling the feeling of her fleeting presence in their dreams.   
  
"How did you know?" Dylan asked, partially feeling like he already knew.   
  
"I vaguely remember hearing her in my head, like she was saying goodbye, or something. Then... She just kind of vanished, but in my dreams... I don't know how else to explain it..."   
  
"I had a similar...experience, if you will," Tyr put in.   
  
"As did I," Rev added.   
  
"Yeah, me too," Dylan said distractedly, rubbing his chin.   
  
"That's great. We know she's gone, she said goodbye. Now can we please stop all this chit chat, and find her, dammit," Beka exclaimed, exasperated.   
  
By this time, Harper was watching them all quietly, but none of them seemed to notice that the normally verbose engineer had seemed to lose his tongue.   
  
"Well, getting to work finding Trance is the general idea of waking everyone up," Dylan stated, explaining the obvious, "but does anyone have any idea where she went?"   
  
They were all silent, looking at each other hopefully. Finally, the silence beckoned Harper to step forward.   
  
"I do."   
  
**********************************************************************************   
  
Trance followed her mother, whose fuchsia hair glittered in the afternoon sun. Trance's gaze wandered about the quiet village, settling on several of the common fairies who stopped what they were doing and whispered amongst themselves. It had been rumored that the princess was back, and many were now obviously running off to tell of the truth of it. She sighed with frustration. Had they nothing better to do?   
  
Trance felt her stomach flip as they reached a large, white house. It was beautiful in a powerful, overwhelming way. Not in the simple, quaint way that Trance preferred... like flowers. Speaking of which, she curled her nose in disgust. There was no garden at this place. How could they not have a garden? She disliked this arrangement more and more. She knew Randex was a jerk, but she had hoped that even a jerk's family would have a garden.   
  
Her thoughts were interrupted as a blue flier swung the door open. From his attire, she guessed he was the butler. He bowed to them, and Trance suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.   
  
"Your Majesty, welcome. The Mister and Missus have been looking forward to your visit. They are with young Master Randex in the living area. If you will follow me, Your Highness." He spoke quickly.   
  
"Of course, lead the way," the queen said pleasantly, though Trance noticed her mother seemed to consciously avoid making eye contact with the hired help.   
  
Trance had to keep herself from dragging her feet as they made their way deeper into the house, right to the very back where there was a sunroom. She really didn't want to be there.   
  
"Your Highness, welcome to our humble abode." Randex's plump mother bowed her yellow head, and her red husband followed suit. Randex was last, and he made a gallant sweep of his orange arm. Trance had to turn her head to keep them from seeing her rolling her eyes. What a... a... She sighed. She wanted to go home.   
  
She turned back, looking Randex up and down. He was good looking, as male fairies go... but he was not Harper. She preferred Harper's pale skin. She also far preferred his bright blue eyes to Randex's pitch black ones. She couldn't see anything in them. Sometimes it felt as if he was not even looking at her, or even worse, that he was looking through her. She loved how she could always read Harper's thoughts and feelings; every one of his moods was displayed through his expressive eyes. She shook her head. This was not the time to daydream about him. Randex's mother was talking.   
  
"...and my how very beautiful you are. Even more so than the last time I saw you."   
  
Trance had the grace to blush. "Thank you."   
  
"Come, come. Have a seat. Jaydrey, bring us some tea." She called out to the blue butler that stood by the door. He nodded, then disappeared around a corner.   
  
"Good man," she said to the Queen. "Not too bright, but who needs brains when you're a simple servant?"   
  
Her mother and the woman chuckled discreetly while the men laughed more heartily. Trance bristled. The butler had seemed perfectly intelligent when he had met them at the door, and Trance could not imagine how she could possibly look down on someone because of his social status, or lack thereof. What really made him any lower in life than her? She literally bit her tongue to keep from snapping out. She knew her parents would not tolerate it, and Trance refused to stoop to that woman's level. She groaned inwardly when the thought occurred to her that this elitist snob was to be her mother in law. Ugh.   
  
She felt eyes on her and looked up to see Randex running his gaze over her. She shivered, and not in the good, excited way she did when Harper looked at her like that. She crossed her arms, then glared at him. He smiled, but she could see the slyness behind it. She was not too worried at the moment. He may be a creep, but he was certainly not a stupid creep. If he pulled anything with her, the Princess, there would be hell to pay for him and his family. She was only worried should they get married. No one could protect her from him then.   
  
She mentally shook herself. /Don't think like that, Harper will find you. I know he will./   
  
**********************************************************************************   
  
"WHERE?" They all asked in unison.   
  
Harper smiled. Well, they were concerned anyway... but would it be enough to abandon their current mission, or at least delay it?   
  
"Where exactly, as in can I show you on a navigation grid?" Harper asked worriedly. "I don't know that. I do know she's gone home, wherever that is, which is apparently for me to find out."   
  
They all looked at him like he had lost his mind. He sighed, and sat down on the nearest bench. He motioned for them to do the same. All except Tyr complied.   
  
"Look Tyr, this is a long story, so you may want to rest your rather large feet. Please, take a load off."   
  
"We don't have time for stories, the girl could be in danger."   
  
Harper raised his eyebrows. "You care? I'm touched."   
  
Tyr glowered at him before answering. "The girl has proven herself to be a vital element of this crew. She has performed exceptionally in pressure situations, and has certain... instincts... that have been valuable. I think it would be tactically sound to retrieve her."   
  
"Figures.... well, fine then, stand."   
  
With that Harper began telling the crew all he knew so far. From Trance's strange behavior the day they broke up, to the realistic dream he'd had a few hours before.   
  
"And you stayed in your room afterwards doing what? Knitting?" Tyr asked incredulously.   
  
Harper rolled his eyes, "Actually I prefer to crochet. No, I was thinking things through, trying to piece everything together. And trying to find a way to convince Dylan..." He took a moment to look the Captain in the eyes. "...to delay our current mission of restoring the Commonwealth, to help a friend. I really need you on this one, Boss. I can do it alone, I guess, but it could take forever... especially without a ship, without Andromeda. By that time, it might be to late and I-" He was cut off.   
  
"You don't need to convince me, Harper," Dylan said with a warm smile. "Trance is a friend and a part of this crew. She belongs here, as a part of the rebuilding of the Commonwealth. So, we can't go on without her. Besides, this is a Commonwealth vessel. That means something, even if the Commonwealth doesn't really exist right now. We don't leave our people out to dry, no matter what."   
  
A few moments of silence followed as everyone absorbed the information that Harper had given, and also the words that Dylan had spoken..   
  
"Alright, so where do we start?" Beka asked, finally breaking the silence.   
  
Harper sighed. "Well, you guys can do the regular searches, but I really think this one is up to me... at least finding where she is, anyway."   
  
"The rest of us will check through the nearby planets for any recent dockings," Dylan said evenly, as usual taking command of the situation. "We can check through for new messages, as well, and maybe search the med lab to see if she left anything there that could help us."   
  
Harper nodded, "Alright, I guess I'll go through the computer, hack into her files, see if anything is in there."   
  
They nodded, then Beka spoke. "I'll take a look in her quarters, see if I can scrounge up anything."   
  
"I'll take over maintenance duties in engineering," Tyr added, drawing a surprised look from everyone but Rev. "That will allow Harper more time to do the more boring research. I don't like sifting through data. I would prefer to deal with something more real."   
  
"Alright then, let's get to work people," Dylan said. They stood and began to file out of the room. Dylan caught Harper's arm. "We'll find her, Harper. We'll find her and we'll bring her home. I promise."   
  
Harper nodded with a slight smile. "Thanks boss." Harper watched them all leave, and noticed that Tyr had remained behind.   
  
"Now you're sure you can find her?" the Nietzchean asked.   
  
"I think she wants me to, so there have to be clues somewhere. What, you afraid of wasting your time on a wild goose chase?"   
  
"Not at all," Tyr said with a gaze that sent chills down Harper's spine. "When Dylan had the chance to be reunited with his wife, I supported his actions. Now your mate has been stolen from you."   
  
"I don't know that I'd call her my mate," Harper muttered nervously.   
  
"She is meant to be, and wants to be," Tyr replied. "Even you have to realize that. Protecting one's mate is one of the most important things in life, Harper. So no, I'm not concerned about being led astray for awhile. I'm only concerned that you find her in time, before anything undesirable happens to her."   
  
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Chapter 5 coming...as soon as it gets written.  
  
Jaimi Copyright@2001


	5. Chapter 5

**NOTE:** Though this is still me story, Nevermore is taking over writing it at the moment because I have no time to devote to it right now. I'll still be contributing to it where I feel it's necessary, and I'll review each Chapter to be sure it stays the way it was intended to be written. Please offer Norm some feedback by emailing him at : ObiNorm@netscape.net   
Thanks, please R&R.   
  
Chapter 5   
By: Nevermore   
  
Trance walked slowly across the thick green grass, enjoying the cool feeling on her bare feet. While she had not missed her intra-family feuds or the close-mindedness of her people, she had never quite gotten used to being away from her world. There was something beautifully natural about it that had always captured even her imagination.   
  
Every passing moment allowed her to calm down more, and by the time the sun was starting to go down she had all but completely forgotten how much her parents had irritated her. Unfortunately, she had also all but completely forgotten how she had arrived at where she was standing. "I couldn't be that far away from the road," she muttered, trying to figure out in which direction to start walking. She looked every which way, trying to recognize any landmarks that she walked past or could remember from her childhood, but saw nothing that she thought would help. There was only the deep green of grass on rolling hills in every direction. She looked up to the sky and could tell that it would be dark very soon. Already the deep orange sun of her world had dropped below the hills, sending long shadows across the grass. "Ok, so... I'm lost," Trance finally admitted to herself.   
  
She sat down and allowed herself to relax, confident that there was nothing that would harm her. Avalon was a world all but devoid of dangerous species, and none of those that did exist ever ventured this far south during the summer. None of her people would harm her, either, as crime was not something to be found amongst her people. It was an idyllic world, where the one danger the residents could expect to face was getting lost while on a walk through nature. "I'll just wait here," Trance decided. "They'll come looking for me eventually."   
  
Dusk gave way to night, and the soft sounds of crickets came to Trance's ears. When they had left their home on Earth so long before, the faeries had brought many species with them, and crickets were one of Trance's favorites. Their noise reminded her of her youth, and of happy nights spent with her friends. It had been so much easier then. As she reminisced, out of the corner of her eye Trance caught sight of a pale purple light, dancing in the night. It appeared to be a lantern. "I'm over here," she called out, assuming that she was seeing a search party her father had sent out. "Hey, over here!" she yelled once she noticed that the light was continuing to move away.   
  
Deciding she was better off chasing down her would-be rescuers than waiting out in the middle of nowhere, Trance began to run across the field, confident that there were no obstructions in her way. The light danced along, always out of reach, no matter how fast Trance ran after it. Finally she started to slow down, and the light did, as well, constantly seeming to tease her and beckon her forward. "Hey, over here," Trance called out. The light moved briefly, as if it was coming to her, and then suddenly winked out.   
  
"What the- " Trance wondered. "Hey, are you ok?" She took a couple of steps in the pitch darkness, and then suddenly felt a tight grip close around her waist. "Hey!" she screamed, her mind suddenly once again knowing the fear she had learned amongst the off-worlders. "Let go!"   
  
A pale light burst into being, a soft, golden glow that seemed to radiate from the young man that held her in his grasp. "You should be more careful, young Miss," he said smoothly, pointing to a spot a few feet ahead of Trance. The field suddenly ended in empty space, and she immediately realized where she was - Sunrise Bluff. From this cliff her people could see one of the most stunning sunrises in the known galaxies, as their sun lit up a beautiful valley filled with trees and a cold, blue river. The mountains that surrounded the valley were made largely of quartz and silicate, which reflected and refracted the light in a stunning, multi-colored display. Often, especially during the warmer mornings during the summer, unicorns could be seen drinking from the river and chewing on the thick riverside grass that was still heavy with dew. Trance hadn't realized how far she had wandered from home.   
  
"Thanks," she muttered with gratitude as she turned back to her rescuer. "Who are you?" she asked, unable to take her eyes from him. His skin was a pale ivory, and his silver hair glowed almost golden in his phosphorescent light. Glittering, silver eyes locked onto her gaze, and Trance suddenly felt completely warm and safe. Seeing magical creatures was not something new for Trance, but even her breath was taken away for a few moments. She had always thought it funny when she read some of the human stories that still spoke of faeries. Often they were completely exaggerated, speaking of a level of magic that Trance felt simply did not exist. Now, for the first time in her life, she saw just how magical her people could be.   
  
"My name is Ali," he answered with a smile. "And you are?"   
  
"Uh, my name is... uh... Mariel," Trance lied, suddenly feeling a desire to prevent Ali from knowing that she was the daughter of the king. "Yep, just plain old Mariel."   
  
"There's nothing plain about such a beautiful name," Ali said with a sly wink. "Your parents chose splendidly, with a beautiful name that seems to suit you perfectly."   
  
"Oh, uh, thanks," Trance said with a genuine smile. "So do you mind if I ask what you're doing out here?"   
  
"I don't mind at all," Ali replied. "I'm here to watch the sunrise."   
  
"But the sun just went down," Trance pointed out. "I think you're in for a long wait."   
  
"That's the whole point," Ali countered. "Waiting for something makes it that much more rewarding. Besides, seeing a sunrise as it banishes the night that has surrounded you for so long is more powerful a sight than simply waking up moments before it happens."   
  
"Oh," Trance said.   
  
"Why don't you stay and watch with me?" he offered. "I promise it will not be something you will soon forget."   
  
"Uh, I don't think that's a good idea," she said. "I should really be getting back home now."   
  
"But I thought you were lost," Ali replied.   
  
"How did you know that?" Trance could hardly believe he had known of her plight.   
  
"Well, I heard you yelling out 'I'm over here,' as if you thought there was someone out looking for you," Ali explained. "I assumed you had grown lost."   
  
"That light was you?" Ali nodded in response. "Then why didn't you help me if you knew I was lost?"  
  
"I did help you," he answered.   
  
"When?"   
  
"I grabbed you before you walked off the ledge and fell into the valley," he reminded her.   
  
"Oh yeah... that," Trance muttered. "But you didn't help me get home."   
  
"I didn't know who you were," Ali countered, "and therefore I couldn't have known where you live."  
  
"Can you help me get home now?"   
  
"You'd have to tell me who you are first," Ali said.   
  
"What?"   
  
"Mariel is truly a beautiful name, but even as wonderful as it is, it still does not suit you," Ali said smoothly. "You're too beautiful for even that name to work for you." Trance was glad that the soft golden light was probably not bright enough to reveal how much she had blushed. "If you do not want to tell me your real name, however, that is fine," Ali added. "Your secrets should stay your own, if that is your wish. You know of the Barrow Road?"   
  
"Sure," Trance replied, knowing that the Barrow Road was the route that most faeries who could not fly took out to Sunrise Bluff. It was the only real way out there, and still was a bit away from the cliff face.   
  
"In the morning I will direct you to the road, and you'll certainly be able to find your own way home from there."   
  
"Why not just tell me now?"   
  
"Because as any faerie should know, it's rather easy to get turned around in the night. You could simply get lost again, and might end up walking over the edge next time. I'd much rather you stay here for now, where I can make certain you don't plummet to a most unpleasant death."   
  
"And why can't you take me there, if you know the way so well?"   
  
"Because I'm rather settled in right now," Ali answered. "I don't plan on moving about until sunrise. So once again, I offer the chance to stay with me."   
  
"It doesn't seem like I have much choice," Trance admitted, trying not to admit to herself that she was glad she would be forced to stay with this mysterious faerie for the next several hours. He was the first one of her people, besides Normaf, that she had seen since returning that seemed interested in anything besides social status and gossip. He actually seemed like a real person, so to speak. "So what now?"   
  
"You can tell me a little about yourself," Ali suggested.   
  
"No, how about something else?" she asked, not feeling entirely comfortable with discussing herself. She could not imagine how she could tell any good anecdotes without revealing who she really was.   
  
"Well, have you ever seen the northern lights?" Ali asked. "While I love the sunrises here, even they pale somewhat to the splendor of the northern lights in summer."   
  
"In the summer?" Trance asked. "I thought it wasn't really safe to go north in the summertime. The dragons are awake then."   
  
"So?" Ali asked.   
  
"So they could eat you or something."   
  
"Just like waiting, danger also makes a beautiful sight that much greater," Ali replied. "I wasn't about to let a few dragons stand in my way of a good time. Besides, they can be somewhat reasonable."   
  
"Dragons? Reasonable?"   
  
"In a way," he explained. "I'm not going to tell you that they landed on the ground next to me and invited me to the hatching of their latest clutch of eggs, but that doesn't mean that they were only interested in eating me, either. You have to remember that dragons don't see many intelligent species other than themselves, so if you don't get all haughty or threatening, like far too many of our people do, they'll be more than willing to trade stories."   
  
"You spoke to a dragon?" Trance asked skeptically. She was suddenly reminded of some of the tall tales her grandfather had told her as a child.   
  
"Yep."   
  
"I thought they had trouble with speech," Trance replied. "Something about not being able to form the words properly without lips."   
  
"They can't speak our language very clearly, that's true enough," Ali admitted, "but they can still understand us quite easily. They're very intelligent, you know. So when I spoke, they understood me, and since I happen to know their language, we were able to converse quite easily."   
  
"You know dragonese?" Trance asked, now certain that Ali was pulling her chain.   
  
"I most certainly do," Ali answered. "I can't believe you don't believe me."   
  
"No one knows dragonese anymore."   
  
"No, there you're mistaken," Ali answered. "There are people that still know the language, it just isn't taught at court anymore. Since our king no longer feels it's important to know, the people, like those animals from Earth.... what were they called... ah yes, lemmings... the people follow along, just like lemmings. So for a few generations no one has thought it important to teach dragonese, so most have forgotten. Some few still know it, and I'm one of those few."   
  
"Oh."   
  
"If only I would be able to teach it to you," Ali said wistfully.   
  
"And why can't you?" Trance asked, grabbing a hold of one of her childhood dreams. She had always wanted to meet a dragon, and knowing their language could help her make her dream come true.   
  
"Well, I presume tomorrow morning you will return home, and I will not see you again," Ali said. "It's hard to conduct language lessons under those circumstances." He smiled, and Trance could not help but follow suit.   
  
"I guess that would be tough," she admitted.   
  
"So what was the most amazing thing you ever saw?" Ali asked.   
  
"I'm not sure," Trance replied honesty. She had seen so many wonderful things in her life, and most of them had been off her homeworld. If she mentioned any of those things, she might give her identity away, as there were very few of her people that ever left.   
  
"Well, you've never seen the northern lights," Ali said. "Have you ever seen the maelstrom?"   
  
"Yeah, I have," Trance replied. The maelstrom was a huge whirlpool in the middle of the ocean. According to legend, it had been created when a pair of twins wished to punish a faerie that had stolen from them. He had fled out to sea, and the brothers had created a whirlpool that swallowed him forever. The whirlpool had never gone away after that.   
  
"And what did you think of that?"   
  
"It was great," Trance answered. Just remembering the maelstrom brought all kinds of other memories into her head, all associated with Avalon. She had forgotten how truly wonderful her homeworld was. Almost without thinking, she dove into conversation with Ali, discussing more and more of their world's wonders - the migration of winged horses, the rebirth of a phoenix, and centaur jousts. They never ceased talking until Trance felt Ali's surprisingly warm hand grasp hers.   
  
"It's almost time," he said, his voice suddenly little more than a whisper.   
  
"For what?" Trance asked, suddenly wary and on guard. Ali's only response was to nod up toward the sky. The slightest streaks of gray were beginning to form in the eastern sky, and a pleasant grin came to Trance's face. "Already? It seems like we only just got here." She could hardly believe that the night had flown by so quickly. Neither one spoke as the sun began to rise toward the horizon, finally breaking over it and sending orange rays of light that immediately began to reflect off of the surrounding mountains. A multi-colored display illuminated the valley into a sight beyond words, and Trance gasped when she saw a herd of unicorns in the valley, completely oblivious to the beauty of the multi-colored light twinkling off of their horns.   
  
Time began to fly by even more quickly, and finally Trance began to realize that the sunrise was over. She had to admit that Ali had been right - the sunrise was certainly better after staying up all night to see it.   
  
"We should probably get going," Ali commented. "Your father will likely have search parties out all over the place, so it will not take long to get you back home."   
  
"What?" Trance asked, suddenly surprised at Ali's demeanor.   
  
"Come now, Trance," he commented, "did you really think that one as well-traveled as I would not know the king's daughter - our very own princess - on sight?"   
  
"Why didn't you say anything?" she asked.   
  
"You didn't seem to want to speak of it," he replied. "I know you went away from us for quite some time, and you've probably gotten to like the anonymity you developed. I wasn't going to take that from you. Besides, would you have enjoyed yourself so much if you had known that I knew who you were?"   
  
"Of course I would," Trance replied.   
  
"No, you wouldn't have," Ali corrected. "You would have been uptight all night, worried about saying anything that could have gotten back to the wrong ears. You would have spent your time being overly proper, even though you would have hated yourself for doing so. This way, though, you were able to enjoy yourself. From the look on your face, I think you needed it."   
  
Trance could not respond. She simply stared at Ali, amazed that he had seemed to already develop such an accurate impression of her personality. As much as she hated it, he was right.   
  
"So, let us go, shall we?" he asked.   
  
"Sure," Trance replied.   
  
"After you," Ali said with a flourish of his hand. "All we have to do is go to the top of that second hill. From there we'll be able to see a copse of trees, and just beyond that is the Barrow Road."   
  
"That doesn't sound like it's too far," Trance commented. No reply came from behind her. She turned around, and saw that Ali had disappeared, seemingly into thin air. "Goodbye," Trance muttered, hoping that he would somehow hear her. She began to walk in the direction he had indicated, all the while wondering if she would ever see her new friend again. He had made her feel special, as no other faerie ever had. "Only Harper ever treated me like that much of a real person," she said to herself. At that thought, however, she tried to push all thoughts of Ali from her head. The last thing she needed was to start getting confused. She already had a fiancée in addition to her true love. A third man would only make things terribly confusing. She found, however, that the more she tried to think about anything, or anyone, other than Ali, the more fervently her mind returned to thoughts of her newest acquaintance. She could not even imagine what she would do about this.   
  
Let us know what you think.   
  
Chapter 6 coming as soon as Nevermore gets it done and I look at it. Muhahahahahaha. So, really...who knows. And don't bitch at Norm for not getting it posted quickly, cause i'm the one that looks em' over and posts them.  
  
Jaimi Copyright@2001


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6   
By : Nevermore   
  
**Co-Author's Note (from Nevermore):** First of all, thank you for all of the positive feedback that you have all provided to Jaimi and me. Please continue to do so by either posting a review here (Jaimi gets the review alerts, but I check the reviews here once in awhile to see who's been reading), or email either her or me (obinorm@netscape.net). I also wanted to say that I originally intended this chapter be longer (I was going to combine this chapter and the next one), but since it'' been awhile since anything's been posted, I figured I'd send this along to Jaimi now so that you can all see an update before you completely forget what it is we're writing about. Thanks for your patience.  
  
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Trance walked slowly through the halls of her father's palace, thankful that she was finally alone again. It had been bad enough when one of her father's search parties had found her and she had been forced to face the sarcasm of the men in the band. _Leave it to a woman to get lost only a few miles from her own home_, they had whispered amongst themselves, as if she couldn't hear them. Just remembering the scene sent flashes of anger through Trance's body. Then she had finally gotten to the castle, and the courtiers had reacted similarly. Of course, they had treated Trance not with the impatience of the guardsmen, but with the mixture of pity, disdain, and amusement that only a royal courtier could ever properly muster. It had been infuriating. It had been degrading. It had been all too familiar. _ I can't believe I'm actually one of these people,_ Trance fumed. _ If I wasn't purple with a nice long tail, I would swear I was actually human. And to think that my people actually look down on-_  
  
"Hey Trance," a familiar voice called out happily from a shadow. It was Jasmine, one of Trance's childhood friends. Though her parents were also some of the courtiers that Trance had grown to despise so much, Jasmine had always seemed somewhat unscathed by the haughtiness of her people. Many pitied the child for being so detached, and saw her personality as a sign that she was obviously deficient in some way. Trance had always found Jasmine's well-grounded personality to be endearing, though.  
  
"Wow, how are you?" Trance asked with a smile, appraising the childhood friend she had not seen since before she had left the planet. "You look so great."  
  
"So do you," Jasmine commented, her bronze skin seeming to ripple with waves of color, much like gasoline on the surface of a puddle. Trance could tell her friend was genuinely pleased to see her. "So I heard you got lost last night." Trance's heart immediately sank with her friend's words, and she braced herself for the poorly disguised condescension she knew would be coming. "Did you have fun?" her friend asked with seemingly genuine interest, catching Trance off guard.  
  
"Uh, yeah," Trance answered awkwardly. "Why?" Her instincts, honed around the oh-so-perfect ladies of the court, warned her to keep her guard up. She doubted that Jasmine could honestly be interested in anything but finding some way to poke fun at her.  
  
"It sounded like a great adventure," Jasmine said with the same old pleasant smile Trance remembered. "You have to tell me everything, but make it fast."  
  
"Why?" Trance asked, seeing a hint of the mischievous gleam her friend's eyes had always held. _How could I have forgotten how much fun Jasmine was?_ Trance wondered.  
  
"Well, there's a new guy who just arrived at court," Jasmine explained. "Apparently his father is some bigwig from one of the outlying northern provinces, and he sent his son ahead to prepare quarters for them here at the palace."  
  
"And you already have a crush on him," Trance surmised, remembering yet another one of her friend's nasty habits - she had always fallen for the new guys.  
  
"Well, actually, no," Jasmine said almost sheepishly. "I sorta thought you might like him."  
  
"What?" Trance asked. "You have to be joking."  
  
"Not at all," Jasmine replied with a twinkle in her eye. "His name is Robin, and he's actually been off-world before, just like you. He even spent some time around humans. I thought you'd like to talk to him."  
  
"I think I would," Trance answered.  
  
"Well, let me just ask this quickly, though, before you meet him," Jasmine said hurriedly.  
  
"Ask what?"  
  
"Well, I don't have an escort for the Ball yet, and I was wondering if you would mind if I ask Robin to go with me, since you already have a date and everything. I mean, not that you would be jealous or anything, since you haven't met him yet, but, you know... am I babbling again?"  
  
"Huh? What?" Trance had no idea what her friend was talking about. _Forget any of the babbling at the end of her question, I don't even know what she was talking about to begin with._ First Jasmine seemed to be setting up Trance with the new guy, then she was planning on taking to him a Ball herself. _And what Ball is she talking about, anyway? And who's my date?_  
  
"The Ball to celebrate your betrothal, silly," Jasmine said pleasantly. "You don't have to play it down or anything. It's ok to be happy about it. So do you mind if I go with Robin?"  
  
"I didn't know about it," Trance answered, ignoring Jasmine's concerns about Robin and once again becoming irritated with her father. It was just like him to throw a party for her without bothering to mention to her that he was having it. He likely already ordered a beautiful gown that would no doubt match perfectly whatever it was that Randex would be wearing. The Ball would be perfect, and Trance and Randex would be perfect, and the illusion that the king's house was in absolute harmony would also be perfect. The absolute perfection of it all made Trance want to gag.  
  
"Well, now you know about it," Jasmine said with a shrug. "A big costume ball, probably the biggest celebration in decades."  
  
"And I get to go with Randex," Trance said, her voice completely devoid of any hint of enthusiasm. _Why him?_ she wondered again. _I'd so much rather go with Ali_. The thought had come without warning, and she caught herself quickly, shocked that she had even pondered the possibility. _I mean Harper_, she corrected herself quickly. _I want to go with Harper_. She looked out the window and turned her eyes toward the sky, imagining she could see the darkness of empty space. _ He's out there somewhere. I wonder what he's doing right now._   
  
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"All crewmembers to the bridge," Dylan's voice called out over the intercom system.  
  
"Well, I guess I'll finish up on you later," Harper said with a shrug, turning his back on the maintenance droid he had been working on. The work helped him settle his thoughts. He had spent the past three hours sifting through Trance's journals, trying to make heads or tails of what he assumed was her native language. First he had taken two days to break the encryption code that she had used to safeguard her journal. Harper would never have guessed that his friend, always so at odds with anything technological, could have come up with such efficient security measures. He could only assume that Rommie had helped her. Once he had gotten in, though, he was faced with a language that he could find no extensive record of. Harper had spent countless hours searching Andromeda's alien language databases for any clue as to the language, but found none. It was only when, in a fit of desperation driven mainly by sleep-deprivation and caffeine withdrawal, he had searched a human database, that he had found a clue. The characters coincided perfectly with an ancient Irish language known as Ogham, which Harper discovered predated the arrival of Greek and Latin in the British Isles. Apparently Trance had been writing in a human language that pre-dated Goidelic, which was one of the earliest known precursors to Gaelic. Harper had no idea why an alien species would have chosen an ancient human language as a written word, but the fact provided yet another infuriating clue to Trance's people - and every answer he got only raised a slew of new questions.  
  
Pushing Trance's situation from his mind for the moment, Harper walked onto the bridge and saw a small, very unfamiliar looking freighter on the screen. "What's the situation, boss?"  
  
"That ship sent out a distress signal and we responded," Dylan explained. "The pilot says she needs help."  
  
"So let's help," Harper replied. "The sooner we get it done, the sooner we can get out of here."  
  
"It's not that simple," Beka interjected. "The pilot claims to be Noddian."  
  
"What?" Harper asked with a gasp. "The Noddians are all dead."  
  
"So we thought," Dylan said.  
  
"So what now?" Harper knew the stories as well as anyone else on the bridge. The Noddians had been a powerful race that had been out among the stars when humans were still trying to figure out fire. They had initially opposed the building of the Commonwealth, but then came around and became one of its greatest supporters. They had fostered younger species, and had even been the ones that handed over the technology that eventually led to the creation of the Nietzcheans. Fifty years before the fall of the Commonwealth, the Noddian sun had gone nova without warning. Virtually the entire race was thought to have been wiped out. Those few that had been off-planet and survived had died off over the following decades, bringing to a complete end one of the greatest civilizations within the Commonwealth.  
  
"Now we talk, I guess," Dylan said. "Patch her through." A faint click could be heard, and Dylan switched from the voice of 'Dylan the guy who was sorta in charge of Andromeda,' to 'Dylan Hunt, Highguard bad-ass.' "This is Captain Dylan Hunt of the Commonwealth Starship Andromeda Ascendant," he stated formally.  
  
"Will you assist me?" a strong, feminine voice interrupted, not wasting time with any formalities.  
  
"Of course," Dylan replied, though his eyes turned meaningfully toward Tyr. The Nietzchean would be expected to keep an eye on their visitor. We're sending in one of our drones to assist in docking. Our chief engineer will assist you with any repairs you need."  
  
"Thank you, Captain Hunt," the woman replied.  
  
Once the channel had been closed, Dylan turned to Harper. "I'm sorry we're taking a short detour from you quest, but this is the kind of thing we have to do."  
  
"I know," Harper said evenly. "To be honest, though, it's not like I really have any solid leads to follow up on yet, anyway. Maybe getting back into the routine will give me some kind of strange inspiration." He kept to himself the fact that he was curious about their guest. He always wondered what kind of people would actually give away the means to making a race like the Nietzcheans.  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Harper," Dylan said with a smile. "I suppose our guest will be needing you in the docking bay. We'll be shutting it off from the rest of the ship, but Tyr will be nearby if you need anything. Understood?"  
  
"No problem," Harper said with a grin. He then went down to the docking bay, allowing his mind to ponder another legend about the Noddians. He wondered as he walked her people were as beautiful as he had always heard.   
  
Chapter 7 coming...when we feel like posting it. Muhahahahahahaha.   
  
Jaimi Copyright@2001 


	7. Chapter 7

**Co-Author's Note:** I just wanted to apologize for taking so long with this chapter update. I know it's been awhile now (something on the order of three months), but I'm one that would rather get a story right instead of rush a second-rate product. My muse is fickle, but I've finally found some inspiration to return to the Andromeda characters. Perhaps this will move along more quickly now. Perhaps not. Either way, I hope you like this...   
  
Chapter 7   
By: Nevermore   
  
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As Harper walked into Andromeda'a landing bay, he was immediately reminded of every story he had ever heard about the Noddians. As a species, their power had been rivaled only by their own shroud of mystery. Indeed, Harper had read that many races of the time felt that the Noddians' reputation stemmed as much from their enigmatic nature as it did from their actual might. Viewing their newest guest's ship, however, Harper decided that any reputation for technological superiority had to have been based at least partly on fact.  
  
What had seemed like a small freighter on the viewscreen could now clearly be seen to be some type of small warship. The sleek vessel had a main fuselage that connected with a wide, crescent-shaped engine in the rear. Harper guessed the wide sweep of the rear engine allowed that section of the ship to also function as a wing within an atmosphere. The design was incredibly simple, but the execution of that design was nothing short of brilliant. The hull is what caught the engineer's eye most, though. As black as the space between galaxies, the ship's skin appeared from a distance to be made of obsidian, with specks of platinum here and there. As Harper watched, he could see the specks moving, shifting, swirling along the hull, like stars in the void of space. He stood dumbstruck, knowing he was gazing at semi-organic armor. The ship was, in a small way, alive.  
  
As Harper stared, he saw a portion of the hull slowly peel apart, creating a doorway. The area that had until a second earlier been a solid part of the hull then began to reshape itself, forming stairs that led down to the floor. A moment later a thin figure appeared in the hatch, walked gracefully down, and began to approach Harper.  
  
"I assume you're the engineer," she said evenly, in perfect English. A small part of Harper's mind thought it odd that a Noddian would lower itself to speak any other species' language, but ignored the stray thought as he gazed at the very feminine, humanoid figure before him. Her proportions and curvaceous, though athletic, shape reminded Harper of a dancer he had once met on the mining colony LV-426. Anything else was a mystery to him, however, as all of the woman's features were concealed beneath a full body suit that seemed to be made of the same semi-organic armor that comprised the ship's hull.  
  
"Uh, yeah.... I'm... uh... I'm the engineer," Harper stammered.  
  
"Let me just warn you that neither I nor my ship will tolerate any attempt to harm me or seize my property against my will," the pilot said sternly.  
  
"What?" Harper asked, completely confused.  
  
"Don't think I'm so foolish as not to know what Noddian technology would be worth on the black market," the woman growled. "You so much as make an attempt to do anything I find suspicious, and I'll vaporize you."  
  
"No problem," Harper said smoothly. "Your ship, your rules. I won't try anything."  
  
"Forgive me if I seem a little cynical, but I've heard that one before," the woman replied, her voice retaining every ounce of its menace despite Harper's assuring words. "And every time I hear it I end up having to run away again to escape someone's attempt to murder me and steal my ship."  
  
"That must really suck," Harper said honestly. The woman's head tilted the slightest bit to the left, and Harper suddenly felt as if he had made their guest smile. He hoped that was a good thing. "So... um... what seems to be the problem?"  
  
"My weapons system keeps shorting out my slipstream drive," the woman explained.  
  
"Have you tried taking your weapons offline?"  
  
"This ship is the Andromeda, correct?" the woman asked, seeming to ignore Harper's question. The engineer nodded. "And the Andromeda is a warship?" Again Harper nodded. "Now, do you think your captain would find it distressing if he suddenly found himself unable to use both his slipstream drive and his weapons at the same time?"  
  
"Probably," Harper admitted.  
  
"This ship is a mobile gold mine," their guest said. "I can't simply slipstream into a new area of space without being able to use my weapons on a moment's notice. I would be vulnerable for five minutes as I shut down the slipstream drive and then warmed up my weapons. That's unacceptable. As far as I'm concerned, I may as well have no slipstream drive at all."  
  
"I see," Harper answered, surprised that he seemed to have found someone even more cautious than he himself was. Being from Earth, Harper knew all too well the fears that accompanied the unknown, and he could easily understand the pilot's concerns.  
  
"So what's your name?" he asked pleasantly as took a few tentative steps toward the ship. She did not move to vaporize him, so he assumed he was permitted to get close enough to run some cursory diagnostics.  
  
"My name's Delilah," the woman replied.  
  
"That's a human name," Harper replied, immediately regretting that he had spoken without thinking.  
  
"And what's your point?" Delilah asked.  
  
"Nothing," Harper muttered. "Nothing at all." He got close enough to the ship to touch it, and then stopped in his tracks and looked back at the pilot. "I just want to make sure you're okay with me being this close."  
  
"It's fine."  
  
"Great. Now, umm.... how do I go about checking this thing out?"  
  
"There's an interface inside the ship," Delilah replied. She led Harper inside and pointed to a small console that contained a cyber-jack that was top of the line by human standards, though likely rather crude compared to most of the rest of the technology he saw around him. Harper jacked in without mentioning the apparent discrepancy, and was almost overcome by the sensation. The first thing he experienced was a shadowy form that resembled the Grim Reaper. _That would be the ship's artificial intelligence,_ Harper decided.  
  
_There's nothing artificial about me,_ he heard an even, raspy voice echo in his head. The shadowy figure bowed before him, and Harper felt a transfer of information into his cerebral cortex. He scanned the information, noted that it was the ship's language database, and he relaxed slightly as he started to poke around. He discovered quickly that the ship was, indeed, a Noddian vessel. It called itself The Hibernian Shroud, although its original given name was apparently an untranslatable Noddian word that had a meaning something akin to the feeling of elation one gains after vanquishing a superior foe. It was a Noddian Black Dwarf Class Gunstar, which Harper learned was a top of the line reconnaissance and fighter support ship at the time the Noddian sun went nova.  
  
Leaving behind the unnecessary details, Harper started to examine the ship's specs. He looked over the weapon system, and then tried to figure out how it could possibly cause problems with the slipstream drive. It appeared that the ship's design kept the two systems completely compartmentalized from each other so as to avoid the very problem that it was now experiencing.  
  
"Why is this happening?" Harper asked the ship. The Grim Reaper shrugged its shoulders. _If I knew what was wrong, I wouldn't have had to ask for help_, it pointed out. Harper ignored the ship's sarcastic answer and continued to poke around, then suddenly shuddered as an icy chill tore through his body. He tried to turn, but felt a vice-lock grasp prevent him from moving. _The AI has its own ICE program,_ Harper realized, noting that it made sense. He just wondered what he had done to set off the ship's countermeasures. A moment later Harper felt himself shunted roughly out of the system and back into the material world. A jolt of pain shot through his head, and the world started to spin.  
  
"What was that for?" he asked. His vision settled, and he saw Delilah standing over the console, gazing at a display screen.  
  
"Did you try to access the real-space drive specs?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah," Harper said.  
  
"Why?" she asked. "That was not a system that you had permission to analyze. It's bad enough that I'm allowing you to pore over the specs for a Noddian particle beam. I won't let you find out how to build a Noddian gravitic drive, too."  
  
"This has a gravitic drive?" Harper asked breathlessly, immediately finding the strength to stand and the will to immediately re-enter the system.  
  
"Didn't you notice the lack of thrusters?" Delilah asked sarcastically. "What did you think, I had to get out and push to get the thing moving?"  
  
"I didn't really look at the engines," Harper admitted.  
  
"What kind of engineer are you?"  
  
"I'm the best there is," Harper said, trying desperately to gain the upper hand in the conversation. "I'm a genius, actually. I just got wrapped up in admiring the hull."  
  
"Oh, I guess that's understandable. You've never seen semi-organic armor."  
  
"Duh," Harper replied. "In fact, I thought no one had seen the stuff for about three hundred years."  
  
"So why were you trying to get into the drive system?" Delilah asked again.  
  
"There was something in the weapons system that looked like it was rigged into the drive," Harper answered. "It wasn't in the original specs."  
  
"The previous pilot may have made some modifications," Delilah said.  
  
"If you don't want me remembering what's in there, I'll just download the information to a temporary file in my cybernetic node," Harper offered. While it pained him to have to forget everything he would see, he couldn't allow himself to miss an opportunity to check out a gravitic drive. The system was, apparently, the ultimate in ship mobility. While pretty much every other ship in existence used some sort of fuel to gain momentum through exhaust thrust, a gravitic drive tapped into the universe's own ambient forces of gravity and anti-gravity. The ship could simply lock onto the strongest local gravity well and use it either as an anchor or a push-off point. The fact that there was no exhaust made it harder to track, an advantage that was only increased when one considered the difficulties in scanning for an organic ship. As a result, Noddian ships were all but invisible to anything but the naked eye, and finding a small, obsidian black ship against the infinite, black backdrop of space was all but impossible.  
  
"How will I be able to make certain that you purge the information when you're done?" Delilah asked.  
  
"Umm... well, you'll just have to trust me," Harper admitted.  
  
"And you expect me to do that?" Delilah countered. "Surely you jest."  
  
"Well, we could probably put you right back out there in space to figure it out for yourself," Harper pointed out, hoping his bluff would work. He knew there was no way Dylan would simply abandon someone in need. It was more likely that he would instead keep Delilah's ship in the hold and transport her to a spaceport where she would be able to get some droids to do the work for her.  
  
"So basically you've got me over a barrel and you're going to take advantage of your superior bargaining position," Delilah surmised.  
  
"No, not at all," Dylan's voice interjected, having surprised both of them not only with his ability to enter the bay without being noticed, but also to approach the ship without setting off a proximity alarm. "What's going on?"  
  
"She's wondering whether to allow me to check out her ship's real-space drive to see if that's causing the problem," Harper reported.  
  
"And since this is a Noddian ship, presumably with a gravitic drive, she's reluctant," Dylan concluded.  
  
"Exactly," Delilah said evenly.  
  
"Understandable," Dylan said. "Harper, is there anything else you think may be causing the problem?"  
  
"I haven't found anything else," Harper responded.  
  
"Okay, well, I'll tell you what," Dylan began, "if you don't trust us to do the repairs, we'll simply transport you to a safe harbor where you can have the ship fixed by someone else." Harper almost groaned at the words as he realized his assessment of the situation and Dylan's personality had been dead on.  
  
"You would do that for me?" Delilah asked.  
  
"This is a Commonwealth ship," Dylan answered. "We do things a certain way here. I know it's become second nature for people out there to start second-guessing their tendencies to trust people and to be suspicious of any offer of aid, but for what it's worth, you can trust us."  
  
"I've heard that before," Delilah replied evenly.  
  
"Then why don't you stay here in the bay?" Dylan offered. "I'll restrict my crew's access. Feel free to stay here in your ship if that's what you'd like. If you change your mind, we'll prepare quarters for you."  
  
"You're serious," Delilah said hesitantly.  
  
"The choice is yours," Dylan said. "I just ask that you respect our hospitality. Times being what they are, we've had a few people try to take advantage of the Commonwealth's generosity." Harper hid his surprise at Dylan's final words, feeling as if the captain would not have added that phrase just one year earlier.  
  
"I'll stay here," Delilah said.  
  
"Is there any place in particular that you would like us to take you?"  
  
"There's a colony on the moon of a planet called Mantulius," Delilah said.  
  
"You mean Calazan?" Harper asked, knowing the place well. The moon was a haven for traders and pirates, and the spaceport's mechanics were second to none. They could fix anything, and were used to dealing with patrons that did not like answering questions. Everyone minded his own business, which meant it was the perfect place for a Noddian gunstar.  
  
"Well then, Calazan it is," Dylan announced with a smile. "If you could come with me, Mr. Harper, I'd like to have a few words with you."  
  
"Great," Harper groaned as he followed the captain out of the bay. He knew he was about to be lectured for not dealing fairly with their Noddian guest. As much as it pained Harper, though, he had to admit that at least this time, Dylan would be right. Harper had, indeed, tried to take advantage of Delilah's vulnerable position in their negotiations. _Now I'll probably never get to see the gravitic drive..._  
  
-------------------------------------------------   
  
"I'm not entirely sure this is such a good idea," Trance whispered as she looked over her two partners in crime. Jasmine's personalilty had truly changed very little over the years. As a child, the bronze-skinned fairie believed that the amusement of an activity was directly correlated to the amount of trouble one could get into by partaking. In her mind, the more trouble she could get in, the more fun it would likely be, and therefore the more likely she was to try it out. In Robin Goodfellow she had found a kindred spirit. Trance, who was forced to decide between spending time with either Randex or Jasmine, had predictably chosen to take part in more narrow escapes from punishment in the past three days than she had since she was a child. _And some of this does seem rather childish,_ she admitted, though she was certainly not going to leave when things were just starting to get interesting. Not when the alternative was to spend time with her fiancée.  
  
"Don't worry, everything'll be just fine," Robin assured his friends. He looked down once more from the parapet to the garden below, gazing with amusement at Floreda, a courtier for whom they had all developed a particular dislike.  
  
"Ah, there you are," Helesa said as Floreda walked smoothly into the garden. She spoke her words with exactly the same smile that every courtier could muster on a moment's notice. "I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten our lunch date."  
  
"Oh, not at all," Floreda returned, also displaying her expertise with the court smile. "I simply couldn't find the proper necklace to go with this dress."  
  
"That's new, isn't it?" Helesa asked, stepping forward to admire the spun silver fabric that glowed dully in the early afternoon sun. "It's absolutely magnificent."  
  
"Why thank you," Floreda replied, her smile growing larger. Somehow, Trance found it somewhat disconcerting to see a grown woman display so many teeth with her smile. "I had it specially made so that it would match my new Gahzyl Hound."  
  
"You were actually able to find a Gahzyl Hound?" Helesa asked in feigned wonder, referring to a rare breed of dog that was coveted by most of the wealthy faeries on Avalon. "How ever did you manage that?"  
  
"Ah, but it isn't just any Gahzyl Hound," Floreda responded, ignoring her acquaintance's question. "This one was specially bred for me, so that its coat would be as silver," she added, her voice in that irritating place between bragging and friendly conversation.  
  
"Why that's absolutely marvelous," Helesa commented.  
  
"Uh, Robin, I _really_ don't think this is a good idea," Trance said again. "Can we undo it?"  
  
"Nope, it's too late for that," Robin commented from beside her.  
  
"Well, it's not gonna take them long to figure out who's responsible," Trance pointed out.  
  
"They'll still have to prove it," Jasmine said. "I think we covered our tracks pretty well."  
  
"I hope so," Trance muttered as she returned her attention to the scene below.  
  
"So did you bring the hound with you today?" Helesa asked.  
  
"Of course," Floreda said as she waved her hand with a flourish. "Etienne is simply walking Cassius around the grounds right now. They'll be by presently." Almost on cue, a servant walked into the garden slowly, hesitantly, with the Gahzyl Hound on the leash. In response, Floreda's face went pale, and Helesa tried desperately to stifle the mocking laughter that was building up within her. For their parts, Jasmine, Trance, and Robin could only cover their mouths as they chuckled, hoping that no one below could hear them.  
  
"What happened?" Floreda asked her servant immediately. "Who did this to my precious Cassius?"  
  
Trance leaned on the parapet again, looking down as carefully as she could, wary not to be spotted. She had not seen the finished product of Robin's work before this point. All she had done was come up with the idea - she had heard Floreda bragging about her dog's shiny, silver coat, so Trance decided to do something creative. _Well, that's certainly creative,_ she thought as she gazed down. The Gahzyl Hound's poofy coat was now pink, with scattered yellow polka dots that were bright enough to make one wince as they looked at the animal. Floreda was absolutely beside herself with distress, but deep down Trance felt the woman deserved it. She simply attached too much value to material possessions. _Besides,_ Trance decided, _it serves her right for referring to that animal as a Gahzyl Hound. I don't know why we need fancy names for everything around here, anyway. It's just a Poodle, and a miniature one at that. How can she possibly think a powerful name like 'Cassius' is suitable for an animal you can punt across the garden?_  
  
Without a word, the three faeries escaped the parapet just before one of the guards walked by. Within minutes they were back in Jasmine's family's chambers, left alone as her parents were out for the day, going for a ride in the countryside. "Now admit it Trance, wasn't it worth it?" Jasmine asked.  
  
"Okay, it was fun," Trance admitted. "You're just sure the effect isn't permanent, right?"  
  
"It's just a glamor," Robin assured her. "Only a minor illusion. It's probably already returned to normal."  
  
"The dog will be fine," Jasmine assured her friend. "But what about you?"  
  
"What about me?" Trance asked, suddenly on guard against letting too much slip. "You don't think I'm fine?"  
  
"You've been preoccupied more and more every day," Jasmine explained. "It just isn't like the old you."  
  
"Well, I _am_ getting married soon," Trance pointed out. "I have a lot on my mind."  
  
"No, that's not it," Jasmine replied immediately. "The wedding is making you miserable, no preoccupied. Don't think I've missed that. This is something else, isn't it?"  
  
"No," Trance lied.  
  
"Yes it is," Jasmine said knowingly. "You haven't changed that much, Trance."  
  
"I just miss my friends, that's all," Trance finally said.  
  
"You had friends?" Jasmine asked, being every bit as curious as Trance had known she would be. "You mean outsiders?" It was almost unheard for faeries to associate with anyone outside their own species, especially when the faerie in question was the daughter of the king.  
  
"Methinks there's one friend in particular," Robin commented as he looked into his new friend's eyes. Trance could only look at Robin in surprise, unable to say a single word in denial. It frightened Trance that Robin seemed to read her so easily.  
  
"One friend?" Jasmine asked, her eyes going wide with genuine shock. "You were _in love_?"  
  
"As if she suddenly stopped when she returned to us," Robin muttered with disgust. Again Trance looked at Robin in wonder, trying to figure out what was going on in his mind. On the surface, there was absolutely nothing special about Robin. He had the same flesh-tone skin of a common faerie, and were it not for his pointed ears and long, curly blue hair, he might even be able to pass as human. Only his eyes, iridescent and as green as the finest emeralds, attracted any sort of attention. Yet this faerie that was reportedly one step up from being a commoner was able to read the princess like an open book.  
  
"So you're still in love?" Jasmine asked, her voice relaying to Trance that her friend knew every bit how scandalous a bit of information she had discovered. "Who was it?"  
  
"His name was Harper," Trance muttered immediately.  
  
"_Was?_" Jasmine asked. "Is he dead now or something?" Trance only shook her head in response.  
  
"But your father has, of course, forbidden the relationship," Robin surmised. A nod followed from Trance. "I'm so very sorry, Trance," Robin said softly as he moved up to Trance and pulled her into a warm, comforting embrace. "It must be terrible for you." Trance tried to respond, but caught herself at the last moment. She dared not speak at the moment, as she could feel herself beginning to cry. It would simply not do to cry in front of anyone outside the family.  
  
"Is there anything we can do?" Jasmine asked. Again, Trance shook her head. Robin and Jasmine were already doing everything they could, though they hadn't known it. Trance simply wanted to have some fun in her final days of freedom. The more trouble she caused with Robin and Jasmine, the less she thought about Harper and Randex. Because of her friends, she had had virtually no time to dwell on the people she had lost.  
  
_Oh, why does this have to happen to me?_ she wondered. _It's not like I've been a bad person or anything. I thought good things were supposed to happen to good people._ As soon as the words 'good people' went through her head, she remembered her friends aboard the Andromeda, and wondered what they were doing at the moment.  
  
-------------------------------------------------   
  
Harper had almost completely forgotten the Noddian and her ship by the time he was ready to get some sleep. After leaving the bay, he had decided to return to his research on Trance's whereabouts. For hours he had pored over the same archaic records he had searched before, hoping to find some clue to deciphering her journals. _I know she would have at least given me some sort of clue,_ he told himself. He had been certain to find something in her records, but he found it virtually impossible to even glean the slightest hint of a meaning from her words. _What the hell good is a clue if I can't even read it in the first place?_  
  
He tried for over an hour to relax his mind enough to get some sleep, but with no success. Finally he turned the lights back on in his quarters and started to draw a rough diagram of the Noddian's weapons system, trying to figure out what was wrong with her ship. He hoped that taking his mind off Trance would allow him to relax enough to sleep, but instead he simply became obsessed with solving the new problem that now confronted him. _It makes no sense_, he told himself over and over as he checked one power relay after another. _Either the gravitic drive is shorting out her systems, or there's a gremlin living somewhere in her ship._ He decided to tell both Delilah and Dylan in the morning that he was certain the problem was in the sub-space drive, and then once more laid down on his bed.  
  
As he drifted off to sleep he began to think about Trance, and wondered where she was and what she was doing. In his dream she wore a bright orange bikini and sat on a blanket on a beach. The sun was rising - or setting, he couldn't tell which - on the horizon in front of her. She laid back on her elbows as a seagull landed next to her. _That's strange,_ Harper thought, deciding that he was seeing Trance on Earth. It was the only place Harper knew of that had seagulls. The seagull then flew off, making a strange sound as it climbed into the sky. Weird, Harper decided, knowing that he recognized the sound from somewhere. _I know - it sounds just like the chime on my door aboard Andromeda._ He suddenly woke with a start, realizing that someone was waiting outside his door, ringing the chime to get in.  
  
"Hold on," he muttered, wondering whether he was about to get a second lecture on manners, this time, undoubtedly, from Rev. When he opened the door to his quarters, however, he was surprised to find Delilah standing outside.  
  
"Do you mind if I come in?" she asked, her voice not quite pleasant, but certainly lacking all of the hostility it had contained when they had spoken earlier.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"I decided that it would be nice to stretch my legs a little for a change," she replied. "It can get pretty cramped living on a gunstar."  
  
"I bet," Harper replied as he took a half-step back and, with a flourish of his hand, invited his armored guest into his quarters. "Come on in."  
  
"Are you sure the problem lies with the gravitic drive?" Delilah asked as she gazed down at the schematics that Harper had drawn as he had considered the problem before going to sleep.  
  
"I'm 99% certain," he answered.  
  
"These are really good," Delilah commented as she looked at the sketches more closely.  
  
"I told you, I'm a genius," Harper said with a wry smile. "In fact, genius probably doesn't cover it. I'm an absolute prodigy."  
  
"I don't doubt it," Delilah replied. "You also have a pretty good personality."  
  
"You think so?"  
  
"Well, for an engineer, anyway," Delilah commented. Something in her voice made Harper seem certain that she was smiling. "So why are you here, anyway?" she asked. "I really haven't seen much of the ship or its crew, but it seems to me that the captain is the only one that seems intent on holding to his idealistic vision of the way things used to be. You almost seem a little too pragmatic to get stuck with someone like him."  
  
"I know," Harper admitted, "and I've asked myself that question at least a thousand times. It's strange, though. Before I met Dylan, I was pretty much convinced that the only important thing in life is to get as much as you can, to look out for yourself because no one else is gonna bother to."  
  
"And you don't feel that way anymore?" Delilah asked, her voice taking on a new tone, one that Harper really couldn't place. It was somewhere between being curious and judgmental.  
  
"I don't know if I'd go that far," Harper said. "I mean, if Dylan decided to give up his crusade tomorrow, I probably wouldn't try too hard to change his mind."  
  
"So you have some kind of loyalty to Dylan, but not his cause?"  
  
"Maybe," Harper said. "All of us have already been through a lot together. We're sorta like family, I guess, though I'll tell you right now that I'm not sure whether our Magog Wayist or our Nietzschean mercenary would be the black sheep of the family."  
  
"Sounds like a hard choice," Delilah replied with a slight chuckle. Harper could hardly believe he had made the woman laugh.  
  
"I guess in the end I hope we succeed in this quest of Dylan's," Harper stated as he moved over towards his small refrigerator and pulled out a can of cola. "You want one?" he offered.  
  
"Umm..." Delilah answered. It was then that Harper realized she would have to remove at least her mask if she was to have a drink, and he suddenly felt as if he had committed some sort of faux pas. "I have to ask you to do a favor for me," Delilah finally said.  
  
"What do you need?"  
  
"I need you to never tell anyone, not even Dylan, what you see here now," Delilah said.  
  
"Sure," Harper replied, the word escaping his lips before he had a chance to stop it. _What did I just agree to?_ he wondered, hoping he wasn't about to get himself into a great deal of trouble. "Andromeda, go to privacy mode in my quarters," he added, once again baffled as to where the words had come from. Before he could worry any further, however, he saw the full body suit that Delilah was wearing seem to become almost liquid, its form shifting and flowing over her body, then begin to pull back away from her head and feet, gathering itself towards the center of her body. Light blue hair and fair skin became exposed, as did a tight, black shirt, as the armor continued to reform itself, finally settling into position around her legs, taking on the appearance of black Capri pants. "Whoa," Harper muttered as he stared at Delilah's body, every bit as toned and feminine as the armor had led him to believe. Despite the blue hair, however, she appeared in every way to simply be a human woman.  
  
"Remember, you promised not to tell," she reminded him as she took the can of soda from his suddenly numbed hand.  
  
"You're human," Harper muttered.  
  
"Yep," Delilah agreed.  
  
"And you're beautiful," he added.  
  
"Thanks," the woman replied with a smile that made Harper weak in the knees. Questions started to race along in Harper's head, and he found himself speechless for almost a minute before he could gather himself together and ask a question.  
  
"How did you get your hands on a Noddian gunstar?"  
  
"I was a friend of the original pilot," Delilah said. "I was just a kid on a research vessel with my dad, and we were waylaid by pirates. He sent out a distress signal, and Xaririlah responded, though she didn't get there until my dad was dead. After that, she gave me the choice of staying with her or going back home."  
  
"And where was home?" Harper asked.  
  
"Home is Earth," Delilah muttered, a dark, faraway expression forming on her face. Harper knew the look well - he had seen it on the face of every human born on Earth and who had somehow managed to get off-planet to live the rest of their life. In Delilah's eyes there was something else, though, a certain pain he had never seen before. There was something else she wasn't telling him, he was sure of it, but he had already heard more than he had ever dreamt he would. He wasn't going to push her for more information.  
  
"Well, I guess I know why you didn't want to go back home," Harper said. "So you ended up cruising the stars with a Noddian in her gunstar. That's even better than me, ending up being the head engineer on one of the most advanced warships in the galaxy."  
  
"I guess we're both lucky," Delilah said. "Two of a kind, in a way, I guess. I feel like you can understand me in a way no one really has since I was a child."  
  
"Yeah, I know," Harper responded, feeling deep down inside the same connection that he was certain Delilah was speaking of.  
  
"Why don't you come with me?" she suddenly asked, once again catching Harper completely off guard.  
  
"Come with you where?" he asked.  
  
"Wherever," she replied. "I know you said the crew is like your family, but at some point we all have to grow up and leave our family to start a life on our own. I was forced to when Xaririlah died and left me her ship, but I think things would be far better for both of us if you come along with me." Harper simply looked at her, too stunned and confused to even say a word. "It makes sense somehow, in some strange way," she added.  
  
"I don't think I can do that," he finally replied. Her bright, almond-colored eyes lost some of their sparkle, and she suddenly leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. Before he even knew what he was doing, Harper found himself kissing her back, enraptured with the incredible connection they had made in such a short time. In some strange way everything felt completely right, though somehow wrong. _But what could be wrong?_ he asked himself. Then, with a shudder, he drew himself back as he gently pushed Delilah away. "No, I can't do this," he said, his voice no more than a whisper.  
  
"Why not?" Delilah asked, her eyes boring into his, displaying her strange caring for him and also her pain at his rejection.  
  
"There's someone else," Harper muttered.  
  
"Who?" Delilah asked. "Someone on the ship?"  
  
"Not anymore," Harper answered. "She was forced to leave against her will, and I swore I'd find her. I can't go back on my word, especially for her."  
  
"I see," Delilah said, her voice now also little more than a whisper. "She's a lucky woman."  
  
"Yeah, maybe," Harper said. Delilah put her hands around Harper's neck and stepped up against him, holding him close in an intimate embrace, though she didn't try to kiss him again.  
  
"So you love her?" Delilah finally asked.  
  
"I think so," Harper replied, though he had tried to prevent himself from thinking about it. "Yeah, actually, I do."  
  
"Then I'm sorry," Delilah said. "I didn't know. I wouldn't get in the way of something like that. I know what it's like to be in love, and to lose it."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"It's fine, it was a long time ago," Delilah assured him. "It was when I was still on Earth, actually. His name was Pike. We'd lay out on the grass, under the night sky, and look up at the stars at night. Sometimes we'd fall asleep in the fields and be there until the morning. Speaking of sleep, though, I think we could both use some."  
  
"No argument from me on that," Harper muttered, suddenly realizing how heavy his eyelids had become. His mouth opened wide in a long yawn, and moments later Delilah followed suit.  
  
"Thank you for being so understanding," she said with a soft smile. "You're a special guy, Harper, and I hope this woman appreciates you."  
  
"Me too."  
  
"And if she doesn't, well... send out a broad-band message for the Hibernian Shroud to come to whatever location you're at, and I'll be there. Send it on this frequency, using this encryption code," she added, slipping a small datacard into his hand."  
  
"I'll remember that," Harper said with a smile. Delilah gave him one more short, soft kiss on the lips, and then Harper watched as her organic armor once more shifted along her body, covering her once more. Delilah left his quarters and walked down the hall, leaving Harper to return to sleep.  
  
It seemed as if he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, and strange dreams haunted Harper throughout the night. The last one had him lying in a grassy field, with Delilah on one side and Trance on the other. They were watching shooting stars and searching for the constellations. Both women got along extremely well, which Harper found very awkward since he had kissed them both. Just as he felt the urge to comment on the situation, though, he heard his door chime once again knock him out of sleep. Once more he staggered to his door and opened it, coming face to face with Dylan.  
  
"Was Delilah in your quarters last night?" he asked immediately.  
  
"What?" Harper asked. "What's this about?"  
  
"Rommie told me Delilah was here last night, but that you put your quarters on privacy mode, so she didn't know what went on."  
  
"You had Rommie spying on me?" Harper asked in disbelief.  
  
"No, actually, I had her keeping an eye on our guest, but she's gone now," Dylan replied.  
  
"She's gone?" Harper asked.  
  
"Yeah," Dylan confirmed. "She left your quarters and went directly to the hangar, where she launched her ship. Rommie says that Delilah went into slipstream almost immediately."  
  
"Oh," Harper muttered, suddenly feeling very guilty about having shunned the woman's advances. _All she wanted was a friend, he told himself, and you chased her away._  
  
"Do you have any idea why she left, or where she went?"  
  
"No, I'm sorry," Harper replied.  
  
"Well, I guess our little detour is cancelled, then," Dylan decided. "So, do you have any idea where Trance might be?"  
  
"I don't know," Harper admitted. "I'm still sorta asleep Dylan, though I have to admit I don't mind you waking me up. I was having this really weird dream..."  
  
"I'm sure it was interesting," Dylan said with a thin smile.  
  
"Yeah, I was in the grass with Trance and Delilah, and we were on Earth, looking at the stars..."  
  
"Why don't you go back to sleep and see if you can finish your little dream?"   
  
Dylan suggested. "I gather you were up pretty late last night.  
  
"Yeah, sure boss," Harper muttered as he closed the door and trudged back to his bed. As he lay back down, he was beset again with the images from his dream, and something in the back of his head started nagging at him that he was missing something, that his subconscious had figured something out and had tried to tell him in a dream. "Ahhh!!" Harper screamed, finally convinced that he should just get up and forget the idea of getting a good night's sleep. After all, with his thoughts racing along at a mile a minute, he would never be able to doze off again. _There's no way on God's green Earth I'll even be able to concentrate today,_ he decided as he walked back to his desk to start reading Trance's journals. It was then that he had an epiphany. _Holy cow!!! The journals, the language... it all makes sense._  
  
"Dylan!" Harper shouted as he touched a communication pad in his quarters.  
  
"What is it Harper?" the captain replied a moment later.  
  
"I think I know where she is!" Harper yelled. "I think I have a good lead."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"I'm not entirely sure," Harper replied, knowing that the contradiction would likely infuriate the ship's captain. "Meet me in astrometrics."  
  
To be continued, of course.......................  
  
Jaimi/Nevermore Copyright@2001 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8   
  
By: Nevermore   
  
"Oh Trance, you look absolutely magnificent," Salerma fawned. The old faerie, a dressmaker that served only the royal family, had been around the palace for as long as Trance could remember. She was known for having a rather restrained tongue and a professional demeanor; never before had Trance seen the servant so enraptured by a woman wearing a product of her labors. For the first time since she had returned home, Trance felt that she had finally received a truly genuine compliment. The experience was incredibly flattering.   
  
"Thank you," Trance said with a wide grin, gazing in wonder at her reflection in the full-length mirror. Her dress was made of spun platinum, the material shimmering in the light. Placed throughout the surprisingly light, and obviously enchanted, material were exquisitely cut amethysts, each of which perfectly complemented Trance's own skin tone.   
  
"If you don't mind an old woman speaking out of turn, your highness, I would say that no faerie has ever been so beautiful without being at all radiant."   
  
"What?" Trance asked in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"   
  
"Oh, nothing dear," Salerma replied. "Like I said, I'm simply an old woman speaking out of turn. Pay me no mind."   
  
"No, I want to know what you meant," Trance demanded, exerting some of the influence that she knew she held over all of her father's subjects. Salerma looked down at the floor and started to shift her feet uneasily. Trance started to feel bad that she was forcing the woman to speak against her will, but she also wanted to know what the old seamstress had meant.   
  
"It's not something that's really proper," Salerma muttered.   
  
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly the most proper person at court," Trance said softly, touching the old woman's chin with her right hand, raising her face to look in her eyes. "I won't hold it against you, Salerma, and I'm not going to run and tell people what you said. I'm just curious, that's all."   
  
"Well, your highness, while your beauty is unmatched in all the kingdom, you lack a certain glow that I remember you having before you left us," Salerma explained. Trance winced at hearing the old woman's words, fears suddenly racing through her mind as she wondered whether anyone else had been astute enough to see the changes that had taken place within her. It was bad enough that she was lonely and heartbroken, but Trance knew that there was more to it than that. She had also become jaded, having seen the way life had devolved in the space that had once been controlled by the Commonwealth. She had seen more pain, misery, and cruelty than she had ever cared to. And she had also been expected to give up so much…   
  
_Of course I'm going to be different,_ she admitted, _and that's not necessarily a bad thing. But I have to make sure people don't notice. It wouldn't be proper._ She knew all too well the scandal that could result if others began to realize how she had changed, and how she had grown to care for a human. "I didn't think it was all that obvious," she finally muttered.   
  
"Only to old eyes that have seen the ways of our people," Salerma commented. "You're royalty, your highness, and thus you're forced to make sacrifices in order to maintain a certain decorum. I can see you've made a sacrifice that no woman should ever have to."   
  
"Oh," Trance responded, not knowing what else to say.   
  
"Who was he?" Salerma suddenly asked, catching Trance completely by surprise.   
  
"What do you mean?" Trance responded, suddenly on guard against whatever subtle verbal attack the old faerie had planned.   
  
"I hear many things, child," Salerma replied, her grandmotherly tone not changing in the least in response to Trance's reaction. "For example, I heard that your father had decided quite suddenly to summon you home. I also heard you had been up to something that he did not approve of. To see the pain and loneliness in your eyes, I can only imagine that he discovered you were enjoying some forbidden liaison, and that he forced you to end it and return to us."   
  
"Oh," Trance responded again, once more at a loss for words. For so long Trance had been the one that had held the advantage in every conversation, always knowing far more than she ever let on, and enjoying the thrill of holding back a few secrets. Now she was stuck on the other side, and she did not care for it one bit.   
  
"Do not worry, your highness," Salerma cooed, "it will all work out in the end."   
  
"What do you mean?" Trance asked, surprised at the certainty in the seamstress' voice.   
  
"I'm a seer, child," Salerma answered. "Your heart will be happy in the end."   
  
"Meaning what, exactly?" Trance shot back, suddenly hanging on the woman's every word. "What can you see?"   
  
"I can't see the details, only the general picture," Salerma replied, lowering her voice and looking around her warily as if she was suspicious that the walls themselves might be listening to their conversation. "What I mean is what I said, and what I said is what I mean. In the end, this will all work out. Does that mean your lost love will come for you? I don't know, but given the secretive history of our people, I would doubt it."   
  
"That's all?" Trance inquired sadly, disappointed that she had not gotten something more to work with.   
  
"No, that's not all," Salerma muttered with a sly grin. "I know that you have allies that are unknown even to you, and that you're being tested in ways of which not even your father is aware. I also know that the resolution of your pain will surprise you… in more ways than you can expect."   
  
"And?" Trance asked expectantly.   
  
"And while one man chases your heart, and another chases your title, there is yet a third man that pursues you for reasons only he can know," Salerma replied cryptically. "He is both a friend and a suitor, a confidant and a mysterious stranger, your greatest ally in finding love, and also love's greatest obstacle."   
  
"I don't understand," Trance admitted, surprised to hear the words escape her lips. It had been decades since she had felt as if she was in the dark about anything.   
  
"You will," Salerma assured the princess. "And trust me, young Trance Gemini, it will work out in the end."   
  
-------------------------------------------------   
  
"So, what exactly are we looking at?" Dylan asked as Harper worked at the astrometrics controls, shifting the star views that made up the room.   
  
"Right now, you're looking at a bunch of stars," Harper said with a mischievous smirk. "But in just a second…" he added as he finished his work with a flourish of his hands, "… you see the stars as they appear from Earth."   
  
"From Earth?" Dylan asked, not following Harper's reasoning.   
  
"Yep, that's right, boss," Harper replied, already trying to figure out just how much he would tell his captain. Once he had come to the epiphany about the one clue that Trance had given him, Harper had also seen all of the additional pieces of the puzzle fall into place. It was at once disturbing and exciting.   
  
"Why?" Dylan asked simply.   
  
"Before she left, Trance kissed me seven times on the face," Harper explained. "It seemed sorta strange, to have her kissing me all over the place just before she left, but I kinda ignored it. Then last night I had a dream about Earth, where I was lying on the grass looking up at the stars."   
  
"Is this the strange dream you mentioned to me this morning?" Dylan asked skeptically.   
  
"Sure is," Harper replied with a grin. "But here's the best part - I think I realized something subconsciously, and my brain was trying to relay the information to me in a dream."   
  
"Okay, I guess that's possible."   
  
"When she kissed me all over my face, it wasn't just a random pattern," Harper said. "She was actually forming a distinct outline."   
  
"And what was it?"   
  
"Ursa Major," Harper announced, raising his hands in a grand gesture of triumph over the puzzle. "You know… The Big Dipper."   
  
"Yes, I know," Dylan assured his engineer. "So you think Trance was giving you a clue as to where she was going," Dylan surmised. "Somewhere in the Big Dipper?"   
  
"Well, the area of space that lies between the stars of the Big Dipper, as they appear from Earth's Northern Hemisphere," Harper explained. He knew he wouldn't have to explain many of the basics, since Dylan was well aware of the fact that the stars of Ursa Major only appeared in that pattern when seen from Earth. As they existed in a three-dimensional area of space, and were all thousands of light years away from each other, the pattern would shift as one moved through space. But from Earth, Harper could imagine a tunnel being bored into space, and he knew in his heart that somewhere in that tunnel, on one of countless planets in an almost infinite area, Trance was waiting for him.   
  
"Well, I guess it's a start," Dylan responded with a slight grimace, but can't we narrow it down any more than that?   
  
"I think so," Harper said, though he knew that he was pretty much limited to simple hope. "I'm assuming that Trance would have given me another clue if we needed it, but if she did, I haven't seen it. So in lieu of any additional information, I'm gonna proceed under the theory that her planet, or at least the area around it, can also be seen from Earth."   
  
"What are the stars in the Big Dipper?" Dylan asked. Harper could see the eagerness in his captain's eyes, and was glad. He liked knowing that Dylan would do whatever it took to help.   
  
"Dubhe, Merak Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar, Alkaid, and Talitha are the main stars," Harper replied, "but I know what you're thinking. I already ran a quick search on each star and its surrounding system. Only Alioth has a settlement anywhere near it, and that's a Kierian colony. I don't think there's any way Trance's people could be mistaken for Kierians." _Well, at least I hope not_, Harper added silently, allowing himself a quick grin. The Kierians were a reclusive, asexual species that only seemed to interact with the outside worlds once every seventeen years, just after the Great Budding, when a new generation was created to launch the latest wave of assaults against their neighbors.   
  
"What about any of the others?" Dylan asked, referring to the array of stars that existed around the Big Dipper. "What do we know about them?"   
  
"Those are pretty much uninhabited, too," Harper said. "There might be some random trading colonies here or there, but nothing on the level of what Trance's people's civilization must be."   
  
"So where does that leave us?"   
  
"Looking inside the bucket of the Big Dipper," Harper answered. "There are a bunch of objects that you can see from Earth, a group of things referred to as Messier Objects, after some old astronomy guy named Charles Messier, from before humans could leave Earth. He studied nebulae, and most of them turned out to be galaxies that we can see from far away; but one of them isn't."   
  
"Which one?" Dylan asked with a slowly growing smile.   
  
"M97, also known as the Owl Nebula," Harper replied, answering the captain's grin with one of his own. _We're finally getting somewhere, he assured himself, I can just feel it._   
  
"There are two stars there," Dylan noticed.   
  
"Yeah, they're sorta superimposed there…" Harper explained. "The one that interests me is right here," he said, pointing toward the upper right-hand quarter of the nebula. There's a third star here that you barely make out. I looked it up in the charts, and it doesn't have a name. In fact, from what I can tell, no one's ever even been out there."   
  
"Seems a little mysterious," Dylan commented.   
  
"Exactly like one might expect from the system where Trance's people lived," Harper pointed out.   
  
"It seems like it's as good a starting point as any," Dylan replied. "I'll go talk to Beka and we'll get ourselves underway as soon as possible." The captain walked toward the door quickly, purposefully, and only stopped when he heard Harper's voice behind him.   
  
"Thanks again, Dylan," the engineer said.   
  
"You don't need to thank me, Mr. Harper," Dylan replied with a friendly smile, "but for it's worth - you're welcome."   
  
-------------------------------------------------   
  
"Isn't this just absolutely wondrous?" Jasmine asked Trance, her bronze skin seeming to glow ever brighter as she soaked in the dancing lights and melodious music that seemed to flow from the air itself. "I've never seen anything like this in my life."   
  
"Yeah, it's great," Trance answered absently, making certain she didn't allow even a hint of enthusiasm into her voice. Inside, she admitted that her father had truly outdone himself, that he was putting on a spectacle that his people may never see equaled again. _And yet I sit here in the shadows, not yet permitted to take part,_ Trance fumed. Her parents had decided that she should wait for awhile, secluded, until the right moment. Then she would make a grand entrance, with every eye in the court settling upon her. The only thing that had made the waiting tolerable was Jasmine, who had volunteered to wait alongside her, despite the fact that it meant Robin was alone in the banquet hall.   
  
"I think they're getting ready for you," Jasmine whispered as the music's tempo steadily increased, gentle harps, violins, and flutes giving way to trumpets, bells, and drums. The lights, too, that flickered through the air like countless, multi-colored lightning bugs also increased in speed, seeming to draw some of the energy from the music.   
  
"I think you're right," Trance agreed as she made certain her dress was sitting perfectly upon her shoulders. While she hated being the center of attention like this, she also could not abide the thought of not looking her best while every eye was upon her.   
  
"Ladies and gentlemen," Trance heard Normaf's voice ring out over the assemblage, "it is my distinct honor and privilege to introduce to you the daughter of our great King Oberon, a young woman who has been away from her people so that she could see the ways of the universe, to better guide us that distant day in the future when it is her place to assume the mantle of leadership. I believe I speak for us all when I say that she has been greatly missed." Trance almost gagged when she heard the words, feeling that the only reason most of the courtiers would have missed her at all was that with her gone, one of their greatest sources of gossip was also lost to them. "I present to you, the Princess Trance," Normaf announced, his voice dripping with an appropriate blend of respect and awe.   
  
Trance walked from behind the curtain that had been concealing her, and immediately purple and gold lights began to dance around her, their light glimmering off of her dress. She looked upon her people, the courtiers, and saw in their eyes an expression of true amazement. _I'll bet they never thought I could be so regal,_ she decided. _They all still saw me as that mischievous little child, but now they know better._ A crowd slowly gathered around her, lords and ladies in small masks that did little to hide their seemingly genuinely respectful expressions. _So this is what it is to be royalty_, Trance thought, realizing that though she had always been known as the king's daughter, she had never been treated like she had expected to be. This was more like something out of a storybook, and she found she liked it. A lot.   
  
"You look wondrous, my daughter," Trance suddenly heard her father mutter behind her. She turned to look at him, and thought she saw a small tear forming in the corner of his eye. "My little girl has finally grown up, I think. I don't believe I've ever been more amazed by you."   
  
"Th-Thank you," Trance stammered, unprepared for the amount of emotion she heard in her father's voice. It was something completely new for her.   
  
"And darling, I think Randex is also quite impressed," Trance's mother chimed in, taking her daughter by the hand as she turned Trance to come face to face with her fiancée.   
  
Trance looked at Randex, and saw in his lifeless, black eyes none of the wonderment she had seen in everyone else's. She could see hunger, an appetite to share in the admiration that Trance was receiving from all those around her, a desire to be one that commanded every bit as much attention as Trance now did. In that one moment, as Trance looked at her betrothed, her brief moment of fantasy and wonder came crashing to a halt. She was reminded once more of her responsibilities, of the chains that her station in life wrapped around her. She might be the center of her people's attention, but she was also not free to live the life she wanted. Even in that moment, surrounded by the most powerful of her people, all of them gazing upon her with admiration, Trance knew she would have traded it all just to be back in Andromeda's hydroponics garden, lying in the grass with Harper at her side.   
  
"You look absolutely exquisite this evening," Randex said, a devilish grin coming to his face as his gaze slipped over Trance, his eyes seeming to undress her as he looked her over.   
  
"You're such a charmer, Randex," Trance's mother bubbled. "Isn't he just precious, Trance?"   
  
_Oh God, I really shouldn't answer that,_ Trance decided immediately, literally biting her tongue as she opened her mouth to speak. As she gazed at her fiancée, her mouth agape and her tongue clenched firmly between her teeth, Trance felt a jolt of queasiness as she saw her life flash before her eyes. She would marry Randex, she would have children with him, and she would one day rule over her people. _There has to be a way out of this,_ she thought desperately.   
  
"Would you care to dance, my princess?" Randex asked, his gaze never meeting Trance's, his eyes fixed firmly in a stare directed at her breasts.   
  
"I, umm…" Trance hesitated.   
  
"Why of course she would," the queen said pleasantly, giving her daughter a slight shove in the small of her back. Trance stumbled forward awkwardly, but caught her balance quickly as she settled her left hand on Randex's shoulder. The two of them immediately settled into a graceful, flowing stride as they danced to music that seemed to adjust its tempo and melody to Trance's every movement. For the briefest of moments the princess was tempted to start running into people around her in an attempt to create a mosh pit, just so she could see if the musical enchantment continued to match her actions, but she decided against such a display. She could only imagine how her father would have reacted to that kind of behavior.   
  
"Please forgive my rudeness," Randex muttered as he and Trance moved toward the center of the dance floor. Every eye was on them, but as the seconds passed, more couples began to join in the dancing, and the focused attention decreased as Randex continued to speak. "I know you do not think well of me, Princess Trance," the firestarter continued. "I simply have a specific role to act out. My father has certain expectations of me, and among them, apparently, is that I treat my wife as nothing more than an object. So please forgive me if I appear to be doing nothing more than stare at your chest and speak to you with no hint of caring in my voice. It's all for show."   
  
Trance was taken completely off-guard by Randex's unexpected candor, and was suddenly unsure of how to speak to him. Rather than speak, she simply looked at him, and caught a quick, sideways glance from her fiancée.   
  
"Well, I doubt the two of us will ever have another chance to speak alone before the wedding, so I'll pretty much say everything I have to say right now," Randex said, his voice hardly loud enough for Trance to hear it over the music and the constant hum of background chatter. "I can imagine you've gotten your head full of strange ideas after being away from us for so long, and I can't blame you for being a little miffed at having been torn away from your friends and forced to come back to marry me." Trance looked at Randex in surprise, then instinctively tried to conceal her true reaction. She failed. "Yes, I've heard about your friends, your highness," Randex added. "Humans wouldn't have been my choice in a social setting, but far be it from me to judge my princess' decisions - my presumption only goes so far. The fact of the matter is, though, that we're going to marry. It's been arranged, and there's not a whole hell of a lot either one of us can do about it. To be perfectly frank, I would rather have spent the next few centuries conducting research before settling down, but as prospective wives go, you're the very best there is. I can certainly imagine far worse fates than being married to the heir to the throne."   
  
_I bet you can,_ Trance fumed silently, remembering Salerma's words - one of her suitors was only interested in her title. _Gee, I wonder which one of them that might be…_   
  
"So it seems we're both stuck," Randex said. "I don't expect you to just fall in love with me because we're getting married. In fact, I don't care whether you ever do or not. I would like, however, to have at least a hope that you and I will have a happier life than my parents did." The hint of venom in his words made Trance start, and she could not help but direct her attention at Randex's parents. They were both standing side by side, though neither one seemed to acknowledge the other's presence. They were just outside each other's personal space, and there almost seemed to be an invisible wall standing between them. The only word Trance could find to describe their apparent feelings toward each other was 'cold.' She had the grace, however, to keep that opinion to herself.   
  
"Your parents seem happy enough," Trance lied. For the briefest of moments she thought she saw a hint of rage in her fiancée's eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared.   
  
"Of course they don't," Randex replied, "though I appreciate your attempt at etiquette. My father sees my mother as property, and my mother sees my father as a means of increasing her social status, just as she does you. So forgive me, Trance, if I don't start jumping for joy at the prospect of entering into an arranged marriage, but likewise don't think I'll be stupid enough to let you go, either."   
  
"Of course," Trance mumbled. _Well, I guess it could be worse,_ she admitted to herself. True, she was still going to be stuck marrying a man she only knew enough to dislike, but at least he seemed to have somewhat of a handle on the unfairness of it all. _Perhaps I can make something positive out of this somehow._ With a violent shake of her head, though, she chased the thought from her mind. _You're not marrying this guy,_ she swore to herself. _Harper is coming for you. He'll find you, and he'll take you away from all of this. He had just better hurry._   
  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX   
  
Chapter 9 coming.....   
  
Jaimi/Nevermore Copyright@2001 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9   
  
By: Nevermore   
  
"If I had a nickel for every time I had to make some kind of annoying, minor repair…" Harper griped.   
  
"You'd be a very rich man?" Rommie guessed, answering from a viewscreen just a few feet behind the engineer.   
  
"I don't know about that, but I'd sure have a hell of a lot of nickels," Harper shot back. "Any idea how this happened?" the engineer asked as he prepared to plug into one of Andromeda's interface ports. The climate controls had somehow returned to their default positions, which meant that it was three degrees cooler on board than Dylan liked it. _I can't believe bad-ass Dylan can't get used to a three-degree difference,_ Harper mused. _What a wuss._ Predictably, Harper had immediately been sent to fix the problem.   
  
Harper jacked in and started looking around, searching for the climate controls. It only took a few seconds to realize that something was not at all right. An image of Rommie appeared before him, and she didn't look well.   
  
"Harper… what are you doing?"   
  
"I'm not… oh, crap." The engineer booted himself out of the ship's system, wincing in pain but hoping that he had acted quickly enough to prevent any major damage. As he opened his eyes to look around, he dared to hope that all was well. From where he was sitting, everything looked fine.   
  
"All crew prepare for slipstream," he heard Dylan's voice announce over the com system.   
  
"Dylan, no!" Harper shouted too late. Andromeda shook slightly as she entered slipstream, and then shuddered with a deafening slam as she dropped back out almost immediately. Harper was thrown from his feet, almost getting knocked unconscious as he slammed the back of his head against the floor.   
  
"Mr. Harper?!" Dylan roared over the com. "What just happened?"   
  
"I'm on my way to the bridge," Harper replied, walking as quickly as he could, his hand rubbing the back of his head as he wondered how big his latest lump would be. Once there, Harper met three pairs of eyes staring at him angrily. Dylan, Tyr, and Beka seemed less than thrilled to have been shaken up like they were.   
  
"What's the problem?" Dylan asked evenly, his voice seeming quite calm despite the situation. Within moments, Beka turned away to examine the navigational sensor data and Tyr began running a weapons system diagnostic, leaving Harper alone to face the captain's sudden foul mood.   
  
"I think Rommie caught a virus," Harper said quickly, "but I can't be sure just yet."   
  
"How exactly did Rommie get a virus?" Dylan asked. Not only was Andromeda equipped with some of the best anti-virus programming available at the height of the Commonwealth, she was also a sentient AI that was capable of coming up with creative defensive procedures of her own. The only way to get a truly destructive program into her system was to do so directly, and that could mean only one thing.   
  
"I did it," Harper admitted. "Or at least, I think I did," he amended. "All I know is I jacked into her system to fix the climate controls-"   
  
"- It's still cold, too," Dylan pointed out. Harper thought he caught a quick, amused smile from Beka out of the corner of his eye, but he dared not take his gaze off of Dylan to see for sure.   
  
"I'll be happy to adjust the temperature just as soon as I figure out what else is wrong," Harper replied. At that moment, Rommie walked onto the bridge.   
  
"The negative axis on my slipstream drive has been polarized," she reported. "I'm afraid we're going to have to replace it."   
  
"How long will that take?" Dylan asked.   
  
"Where exactly are we?" Harper inquired in response.   
  
"Give me another minute," Beka replied. "I'm figuring that out right now."   
  
"See boss, the thing is that we don't happen to have a spare power coupling on board," Harper said.  
  
"Why not?" Dylan asked. "It's an important part. If we lose that, we can't go to slipstream, and that means we could get stuck in the middle of nowhere."   
  
"Like we are right now," Beka chimed in. Everyone's head turned toward her. "From what I can tell, at 30 PLS, we're about twenty years or so from the nearest shipyard large enough to do us any good."   
  
"Twenty years?" Dylan asked. "Harper, you have to be able to fix it."   
  
"Well, we used to have two spare power couplings," Harper explained, "but we dropped one off with the Perseids so they could rebuild it for us, and the other one sorta got traded away last time we needed some other parts."   
  
"We traded away our only spare power coupling?" Dylan asked, hardly able to believe the situation. "I hope we got something worthwhile in return."   
  
"We got a new tactical sensor array," Tyr said. "As we wouldn't last more than twenty seconds in a firefight without one, I would say the trade was well worthwhile."   
  
"It doesn't seem so right now," Dylan returned. "Exactly how did this happen, again?" Dylan asked his engineer.   
  
"I'm not entirely sure," Harper replied, "but when I jacked into Rommie, she got all wonky. Since it's almost impossible to get a virus past her screens unless you do it personally, I can only assume it's my fault."   
  
"And I assume you didn't do it on purpose," Dylan surmised.   
  
"I'm not entirely happy with the idea of being stranded in the middle of nowhere for the next twenty years," Harper responded. "I was sort of in the middle of something," he added needlessly, knowing the crew was probably starting to notice his increasing obsession with finding Trance.   
  
"Of course," Dylan muttered. "Any idea where the virus came from?"   
  
"I can only guess that it's a thank you gift from our Noddian guest," Harper answered. He saw the curious stare from Dylan, and concluded that the captain suspected something more happened in Harper's cabin than he had initially let on. "And it's probably nothing like you're thinking," he added. "I was jacked into that gunstar of hers… I can only guess that the virus was downloaded into my cyber-matrix then, purposely or not I can't tell."   
  
"So I guess the first order of business is to take care of the virus," Dylan decided.   
  
"I've already done that," Rommie announced. "It wasn't anything too impressive, actually. It was a simple program specifically designed to polarize a power coupling."   
  
"That's a stupid virus," Tyr interjected. "Battles are not fought in slipstream. She would gain no tactical advantage by downloading that into a possible enemy."   
  
"Unless she was just using it to make sure she could get away if we became hostile," Dylan replied. "Most ships would have at least one spare power coupling on board. It's not like what she did would be permanently destructive, at least not in most instances. It would only allow her to escape."   
  
"Only now we're pretty much screwed," Rommie commented, drawing stares from everyone but Harper.   
  
"We're _screwed_?" Dylan asked with an amused expression.   
  
"Oh, I meant to tell you about that," Harper said. "I relaxed some of the restrictions on Rommie's language database. She's a little more free to say exactly what she wants to now."   
  
"Thank you, Mr. Harper," Dylan said, his tone making it plain that he was not very thankful at all.   
  
"Maybe there's an upside to being stranded for a bit," Beka said.   
  
"I don't see how," Tyr replied in that even, slightly condescending tone that only a Nietzschean could ever properly muster. "We're stuck in the space between planets, twenty years from the nearest port where we can get repairs, and our ship's AI is trying to get the hang of using slang and profanity. About the only bright side I can see is that the only Magog anywhere within five light years of us is Rev."   
  
"All valid points," Beka conceded, "but we've been running dangerously low on weapons every time we engage anyone. This'll give us a chance to do a little stockpiling."   
  
"Agreed," Dylan said immediately. "Tyr, you and Beka reprogram a bunch of the droids to build offensive and defensive missiles. Harper, you and I will try to see if there's anything we can do with that power coupling, and we'll have Rev check over the slipstream drive to make sure it wasn't damaged when we were knocked back into real space."   
  
"And what the hell should I do?" Rommie asked. Dylan turned to his ship's avatar with a blank expression on his face.   
  
"First, you'll either wash your mouth out with soap or reset your language database to its default settings," he instructed. "Then, please, for the love of God, turn up the damn heat."   
  
-------------------------------------------------   
  
_This has to be the most beautiful sunrise I've ever seen,_ Trance thought, once again sitting at the top of Sunrise Bluff, only a few feet from where she had spent a night speaking with Ali. Somehow, despite its beauty, this sunrise was just not as wondrous as the one she had seen that morning.   
  
"You might want to think about having your father build a large, comfortable chair for you out here if you plan to continue showing up for sunrises," Trance heard Ali's familiar voice comment from behind her. She whirled quickly, shocked that she had not been able to hear, or even sense, his approach. He almost seemed to have appeared out of thin air, as if by magic. To seem like that to a human would have been no large feat, but Trance was surprised that she had felt that way.   
  
"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to sneak up on people?" she asked with a friendly smile. Though she would not admit it to herself, she had secretly hoped that Ali would show up.   
  
"Hmm… I'm not certain about that," Ali replied with a mischievous grin. "If anyone did ever tell me that, I must not have been paying attention."   
  
"Well, you should have," Trance shot back. "It's important to be proper."   
  
"Like you, you mean?"   
  
"Yes," Trance answered.   
  
"Is that why you're out here all alone, probably without having told anyone in the palace that you were sneaking out… again?" Ali's silver eyes twinkled with amusement as he made his friendly accusation.   
  
"Oh, that," Trance responded awkwardly. "Well, no one's gonna miss me."   
  
"Of course not," Ali agreed. "It's not like there was any large costume ball last night that people would want to talk to you about this morning."   
  
"Uh-oh," Trance said, suddenly realizing that she was probably about to land herself right back in her father's bad graces. _And after I spent so much effort making last night perfect so that he would finally be proud of me…_   
  
"Yep, uh-oh is probably right," Ali agreed. "But as long as you're here, you might as well enjoy yourself."   
  
"And how, pray tell, do you expect me to do that?" Trance asked.   
  
"Did you have fun the last time we spent the night together here?" Ali asked, his smile not fading in the least.   
  
"Don't say it like that," Trance replied.   
  
"Like what?" Ali responded, looking as innocent as possible.   
  
"When you say 'we spent the night together' and all like that," Trance replied. "You almost make it sound like we were up to something."   
  
"Weren't we?"   
  
"What do you mean?" Trance asked, suddenly very much aware of how alone and vulnerable she was.   
  
"Weren't we up to something?" Ali asked. "I mean, you were out here pretending to be refreshingly normal, and I was letting you. We traded wonderful stories and felt the night fly by. Sounds to me like we were up to having a good time. Or was I wrong?" Despite the fact that his words indicated he felt unsure, his demeanor spoke of a confidence that was unusual even for a faerie.   
  
"No, not at all," Trance said hurriedly.   
  
"So you enjoyed spending time with me?"   
  
"Of course," Trance assured her secret friend.   
  
"Is that why you're out here again?"   
  
"What?" Trance asked, feeling like she had once when she was a child, and was caught eating tarts in the palace bakery.   
  
"I mean only what I said, Trance," Ali said smoothly. "Did you come out here so you would be able to relax again? Don't get me wrong or anything, I'm not trying to imply that you ran out here in the darkness of night so you could have some forbidden rendezvous with me. I'm not completely daft, you know."   
  
"Not _completely_ daft," Trance agreed.   
  
"Hey now," Ali chided, "I don't know that you know me well enough to make fun of me like that."   
  
"I'm sorry," Trance apologized quickly, wondering if Ali was joking or not. She just couldn't read him at all, and it was starting to drive her crazy.   
  
"No need," Ali replied. "I understand how it is. You just can't help but look down on the commoners." He wrinkled his face up into a thoroughly pitiful grimace, and started wracking his body with faux sobs. With a slight giggle, Trance punched him softly on the shoulder.   
  
"Do you take anything seriously?" Trance asked, surprised that the words escaped her lips. The first time they had met, though Ali was fun, there seemed something almost earnest in his personality. Now he was as lighthearted as he had once been serious.   
  
"I can take a lot of things seriously," Ali replied, but it seems now that you need a smile more than you need a sympathetic ear."   
  
_He can read me like an open book,_ Trance mused. _It's almost eerie… and extremely unfair._ "So what else do I need?" she asked.   
  
"Well, you need some advice on a large problem, but only once you lighten up enough to know the world isn't about to end," Ali answered, his smile vanishing as he once again became as serious as Trance had seen him before.   
  
"And what do you think I need advice with?" she asked defensively.   
  
"I don't know; you tell me," Ali retorted.   
  
"Everything's fine with me," Trance lied.   
  
"Oh, you mean you have no problem marrying someone you don't love?" Ali asked.   
  
"What?" Trance asked. "How dare you?"   
  
"A thousand apologies, your highness," Ali said smoothly, not seeming to be in the least perturbed by Trance's reaction. "I assumed you did not love Randex. Obviously I was mistaken."   
  
"What? No, you're not," Trance said quickly.   
  
"So you don't love your fiancé?" Ali asked.   
  
"I didn't say that," Trance replied, suddenly very confused as to how she had gotten herself into this situation.   
  
"Yes, you did," Ali corrected her.   
  
"Not in those words," Trance shot back.   
  
"Use whatever words you like, your highness, but your meaning was quite clear," Ali said. "You don't love Randex; and of course how could you? You don't even know him."   
  
"I know," Trance replied dejectedly. "Not that my father cares."   
  
"In the grand scheme of things, you could do far worse," Ali said sympathetically. "I mean, at least it's not like you love another." Even as he spoke, his eyes bored into Trance's, seeming to search for any reaction to his words. Despite her best attempts to keep her feelings hidden, though, she knew Ali saw the truth. "Or maybe you do love another after all," he added softly.   
  
"I don't see that it's any of your business," Trance commented. "I don't see why you can't simply leave well enough alone."   
  
"Well I'm not the one that sneaked out of my father's castle to spend the morning on a cliff, talking to someone my parents have never met," Ali said. "I wonder how Randex would feel about this…"   
  
"Oh, you can't tell him," Trance said quickly.   
  
"Tell him what?" Ali asked, once more seeming as innocent as a lamb. "That you sneaked out here to see me, or that you're in love with a human?"   
  
"Who told you that?" Trance asked.   
  
"No one had to," Ali answered. "I'm not exactly dim, you know."   
  
"Oh," Trance replied, afraid that saying anything more might betray another secret she thought no one would ever guess at.   
  
"So what's his name?"   
  
"Harper," Trance muttered, speaking the name she had not spoken since she had returned home. "Seamus Harper." Just saying his name was enough to bring countless memories flooding back into her mind. In her stomach she felt a little tingly, and her breath seemed a little shallower as she became slightly excited. She wanted to say his name over and over again, wondering if that would make the wonderful experience she was feeling even that much more enjoyable. She restrained herself, however, and instead vowed never to speak his name again… not until he was finally standing before her once more.   
  
"It's a very human name," Ali replied, closing his eyes as if he was trying to imagine what a human named 'Seamus Harper' would look like. "He suits you, I think."   
  
"What do you mean?" Trance asked, wondering at the meaning of her friend's words. _He doesn't know Harper,_ she thought angrily. _Who in hell is he to make that kind of a comment?_   
  
"It's something about the name," Ali said with a subtle wave of his hand. "You look like someone that would fall for a Seamus."   
  
"What?" Trance wasn't sure what to make of that comment, but she was reasonably certain that she didn't like it.   
  
"It's not something I can really explain," Ali responded, a faraway look in his eye. "Perhaps I have a bit of seer's blood somewhere in my family history. I guess it's as possible as anything else, since I am a bastard, after all."   
  
"You are?" Trance asked sympathetically, knowing the social stigma that was attached to bastards in her people's society. The only worse thing was being kith - a human/faerie half-breed. _And that's what my children would be if I ever married Harper,_ she realized. _I'd be condemning my children to a lifetime of scorn if I ever brought them back here._   
  
"Nothing wrong with being a bastard, Trance," Ali said, "it doesn't bother me at all. My parents were young and consumed with an irresistible passion. It's almost like I was conceived in fire, so to speak. How many other people can say that? Take your fiancé, for instance. You think he could ever lay claim to having been produced by the heat of lust?"   
  
"No," Trance said immediately, reminded of the way Randex's parents had been so distant during the ball. She was certain that they had had a child for one reason - because it was expected of them. The more she thought about it, the more piteous it seemed. "I never looked at it that way."   
  
"That's too bad," Ali replied. "You should always look at everything in every way possible. For example, why do you like humans?"   
  
"I don't know," Trance said, curious as to how she couldn't answer such a simple question. It wasn't like she had needed to make a decision whether or not to like humans, it was just something that had happened. It seemed natural that she should befriend people that had good character. "My friends are nice people," Trance tried to explain. "They would be there for me if I ever needed them."   
  
"That's very nice," Ali commented, "but you couldn't really have known that until you got to know them. What was it about them that made you interested in getting to know them?"   
  
"I don't know," Trance admitted. "It just seemed right at the time."   
  
"I don't understand why you would become close to someone that was going to die within only a few brief decades," Ali added. "And even more than that, though - you fell in love with one of them. Why would you do that?"   
  
"It's not like I just woke up one morning and decided to fall in love with a human," Trance replied. "It doesn't work that way."   
  
"But in the whole scheme of things, could you have found a worse possible match?" Ali asked, his eyes inquisitive without being judgmental. "He's human, which means his lifespan is but a wink of an eye compared to ours. Even worse, though, he's human. Do you realize how most of our people feel about humans? Do you know how your _father_ feels?"   
  
"They're wrong," Trance said through gritted teeth, not bothering to conceal her rapidly growing anger. She did not care at all for Ali speaking poorly of humans, not when she had spent so much time amongst them.   
  
"Everyone is wrong?" Ali asked. "You're the one that's right, while everyone else is wrong? Do you know how that sounds?"   
  
"Do you know how much I don't care?" Trance asked in reply. "I can count on one hand the number of our people that have left Avalon within this particular human generation. If those few have an opinion, I might listen. As for anyone else, you might as well start giving me advice on seducing a Magog, since you'd probably know just as much about that as you would about humans."   
  
"Point taken," Ali returned. "I'm not trying to be judgmental, though. I just want to understand."   
  
"Understand what?" Trance asked, suddenly feeling as if she was being drawn in to another debate.  
  
"I want to understand why you would allow yourself to fall in love with a human," Ali replied. "It's only going to end up bringing you pain."   
  
"How do you figure?"   
  
"You're immortal,' Ali pointed out, "or at least as close to it as any being is likely to get. Harper will die in a short time."   
  
"And then I'd be alone," Trance said, finishing Ali's sentence for him. "I've already considered that."   
  
"And?"   
  
"And there's this old saying," Trance replied, "that the light that burns twice as bright only lasts half as long. So yes, I might only have a few decades with him… if I could be with him… but they would be some of the most wonderful decades anyone had ever had. His light does burn twice as bright - no one else anywhere is like him."   
  
"Perhaps."   
  
"And what else would you have me do?" Trance asked. "Would you have me marry Randex? I ask of you, what's worse - being with your true love for a few decades and then being alone for the rest of your life, or spending eternity with someone that, at best, you can only coexist with?"   
  
"Why limit yourself to only those two options?" Ali responded, evading Trance's question. "You could always try to find someone else, maybe another one of our people… someone you get along with and with whom you could even find happiness. Not just happiness for a few decades, but for an eternity." He looked deeply into Trance's eyes, and she saw the suggestion that was there.   
  
"Oh, please," Trance muttered in reply.   
  
"What?"   
  
"Are you coming on to me?" Trance asked.   
  
"And what if I am?" Ali asked innocently. "Would that be so terrible a thing?"   
  
Trance felt extremely awkward all of a sudden. Part of her felt guilty for having the conversation, but at the same time, she had to admit that it wasn't like she was cheating on Harper. She was simply talking, nothing more. _But you're not just talking,_ a meek voice in the back of her head said. _You're actually considering this._ "Oh, what a terrible time for a bout of conscience," Trance muttered.   
  
"What?"   
  
"Oh, nothing," she replied quickly, hoping Ali hadn't heard her. "Look, I'm really flattered, Ali, but I'm in love with Harper. I can't even think about being with someone other than him."   
  
"I'm not asking you to run away with me or anything," Ali said. "I would only hope that, if Harper does not come for you before your wedding, that you consider me as an alternative to Randex."   
  
"Meaning I'd have to run away with you," Trance replied, not seeing how else she would be able to defy the marriage that her father had arranged.   
  
"Umm, yeah," Ali responded hesitantly, "I guess you would. So I was wrong, I am asking you to run away with me, after all."   
  
"Ali…" Trance muttered, her mind racing at a mile a minute. She hoped against hope that Harper would come for her, but she had doubts. _What if he can't find me? What if he doesn't want to find me? What if my father takes steps to make sure he doesn't find me?_ Given the alternative, Trance would choose Ali over Randex in a heartbeat, but that didn't mean she was just willing to run off with him and give up on Harper. _Though the idea of being with someone… the right someone… forever is definitely appealing…_   
  
"I should probably get going," Ali stated as he rose to his feet. "I apologize if I made you feel at all uncomfortable."   
  
"You didn't," Trance assured her friend.   
  
"So you will not feel uneasy if we run into each other again for another sunrise?" he asked smoothly.   
  
"I look forward to it," Trance assured her friend.   
  
"Good," Ali said with a wink. Without another word, he set off on foot, walking toward the Barrow Road.   
  
_Great, now I have three men after me,_ Trance mused. _As if I didn't already have enough problems. There's a mortal that makes me feel wonderful, an immortal that would drive me to drink, and an immortal who I totally click with, but who just doesn't make me feel the way Harper does? _None of the three was completely perfect, but Trance couldn't see why a lack of perfection was a reason not to continue to hope for Harper. True, he would die soon, but until that day he would be the best that Trance could ever hope for.   
  
Chapter 10 coming soon...   
  
Jaimi/Nevermore Copyright@2001 


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**   
  
By: Nevermore   
  
"I don't think we have a whole lot of choice about this," Beka said, wondering why Dylan was even discussing the decision. "We can't get into slipstream. We're decades away from the nearest known port. I _have_ to take the Maru back to the Perseids and pick up the spare power coupling."   
  
"And while you're gone we won't have a pilot in case someone finds us while we're vulnerable," Tyr interjected.   
  
"She's right, though," Dylan commented.   
  
"I'm not arguing that," Tyr shot back. "I was simply pointing out the obvious, just as Beka has. It's a good thing we spent a week rearming ourselves in case a hostile vessel or two show up."   
  
"Okay, prep the Maru," Dylan ordered. "Rommie, you'll take over navigation while Beka is gone."   
  
"Yes, captain," Rommie said with a small salute, drawing curious stares from everyone in the room. "What?" she asked awkwardly, wondering why the entire crew was looking at her strangely.   
  
"I think you tightened up the formality a little too much when you adjusted your language database," Harper said. "We haven't been saluting since we came aboard."   
  
"Oh, right," Rommie said absently. "Sorry, Captain… I mean… Dylan."   
  
"Forget it," the captain replied, turning from the ship's avatar to face his first officer once again. "Just make sure you get back here quickly, Beka. And be careful."   
  
-------------------------------------------------   
  
_Why is Harper taking so long?_ Trance wondered silently as she tossed and turned in her large bed, struggling to get comfortable enough to sleep. She found that the more she tried, though, the harder it was. _I wonder if something happened. I gave him that clue… if he figured it out, he should have been here by now._   
  
For almost an hour, Trance silently debated the point, wondering whether she had given Harper enough information to find her, and whether he would come for her if he ever did figure out where she was. Then there was the fact that he was aboard Andromeda, a ship that had gained many enemies since it had been pulled from the black hole. It was extremely possible that something bad had happened. _ I have to find out, Trance decided. I have to reach out to Harper and find out if he's okay. And if he is, I have to give him another clue or something…_   
  
Once she had made her decision to act, it suddenly became easier for Trance to calm down. Relaxing her body, starting with her feet and moving up her legs, into her torso, and then along her arms, she eased her muscles and slowed her breathing while she cleared her mind. She allowed her consciousness to expand slowly, reaching outward until she began to sense the minds of the faeries that lived within the palace. She continued outward, reaching into the stars, searching for the echo of Harper's mind, trying to move as quickly as she could, hoping her father would not detect her forbidden attempt to contact her human lover.   
  
_Where is he?_ she wondered, first searching the Milky Way galaxy for any sign of Harper. She found none. Confused and disappointed by her failure, she shifted her focus to the Magellanic galaxy. Moving along quickly, her mind crossing the distance between galaxies in only a few short moments, she once again began to search, only to have her concentration disrupted by a loud pounding that brought her mind right back into her body.   
  
"Come on, open up," she heard Robin complaining outside her door. "Trance, I'm not leaving until you either let me in or your father gets his guards to throw me out." The young faerie pounded on her bedchamber door again, and Trance sighed heavily as she realized she would be completely unable to return to her task until she first got rid of her mischievous friend. Rising quickly from the bed, Trance covered the distance to her door with a few short strides, pulling the door open angrily and coming face to face with Robin's omnipresent smile.   
  
"Finally," he said in a low voice, as if he was suddenly concerned about making too much noise. _As if it matters after he stood there pounding on my door_ , Trance thought angrily. "Come on, Trance, get out of there and come along for some fun."   
  
"I'm not permitted to leave my chambers," Trance muttered angrily. "You should know that." Ever since she had returned from her second visit to Sunset Bluff, Trance had been restricted to her own room as her father attempted to both punish her, and also keep her away from courtiers that were far too interested in finding out what she had been up to.   
  
"I can't believe you're grounded," Robin said cheerily, his demeanor only serving to irritate Trance all the more. "Exactly how old are you, again?"   
  
"Older than you," Trance replied, not wanting to get into real numbers. It was a habit she had gotten into after spending time around mortals. While she was incredibly young by her own people's standards, she had learned quickly that it was not a good idea to mention to humans that her age was already measured in centuries.   
  
"Well then, you have to come with me," Robin said urgently.   
  
"Why?" Trance asked, suddenly intrigued.   
  
"Jasmine and I need your help," Robin responded, his eyes starting to dart from side to side, nervously checking every shadow for unwelcome eavesdroppers. His paranoia within the castle was already legendary, and not at all inappropriate, given the way the walls seemed to have ears of their own.   
  
"For what?" Trance asked, though she knew that if Jasmine was involved, her two friends were likely planning some kind of prank.   
  
"We think we have evidence that Randex has been stealing dragon eggs and selling them to Harpies," Robin said, mentioning a crime that would merit an incredibly severe punishment. Dragons were known to be extremely protective of their eggs, and had, in the past, burned down entire villages as retribution when only one resident had been involved in egg theft.   
  
"You've got to be kidding," Trance blurted out, unable to believe that her fiancé, whatever his personal shortcomings, could possibly commit such a heinous act.   
  
"Well actually, yeah… I am kidding," Robin suddenly admitted. "I really had you going, though. Pretty funny, eh?"   
  
"No," Trance replied evenly. "Can you leave now?"   
  
"No," Robin said, marching right past Trance and into her room. He walked over to her bed and plopped himself down on its edge, looking the princess over curiously. "Why would you want to stay in here, anyway? You've been in here alone for a week now. It's gotta be getting boring for you."   
  
"So?" Trance replied. "It's what I deserve."   
  
"For what?" Robin asked. "You didn't do anything bad."   
  
"I ran away again to watch a sunrise," Trance answered.   
  
"You mean you got up at the crack of dawn to survey your kingdom?" Robin responded. "That sounds like a rather responsible thing to me. Shows initiative and concern for your people."   
  
"I didn't get permission," Trance shot back, hoping to make it clear why her father was angry with her.   
  
"And if you found a lost child that was hanging from the cliff, his hands slipping dangerously until you arrived to save his life?" Robin asked. "Would you have gotten in trouble then?"   
  
"Probably not," Trance admitted.   
  
"So you're in trouble because your father runs his kingdom so well that no tragedies needed to be averted when you went out to see your people and make sure everything was okay," Robin surmised. "That doesn't make much sense to me."   
  
"Me either," Trance replied, suddenly seeing her actions in a completely different light. She wished she had run into Robin before her father had found her - if she had explained her actions like her friend just had, she might have avoided her current situation altogether.   
  
"So let's get out of here," Robin suggested again. "It'll be fun."   
  
"What are we gonna do?" Trance asked.   
  
"Does that mean you're coming with us?"   
  
"Yeah, I am," Trance decided. While part of her was extremely nervous about defying her father, another part had decided that enough was enough, that she would no longer allow herself to be pushed around by the man, simply because he happened to be the king. She was certain she would never be oppressed as she was if her father was simply an ordinary citizen. She was tired of being held to a higher standard, especially when she neither asked for her privileged station in life, nor seemed to derive any desirable benefit from it.   
  
"Great, you won't regret this," Robin assured her. "You're gonna absolutely love what Jasmine and I came up with…"   
  
-------------------------------------------------   
  
"Dylan, I'm detecting what appears to be a small military vessel, three light minutes away and closing fast," Rommie suddenly announced, drawing everyone out of their silent reveries.   
  
"Start moving us away at top speed," Dylan directed as he opened the com system to the shuttle bay. "Beka, scrap your launch and get up here. We might need you."   
  
"Understood," Beka replied, jumping from the pilot's chair on the Maru and racing back toward Andromeda's bridge.   
  
"What do you have on the ship, Tyr?" Dylan asked as the Nietzschean ran his customary tactical scans.   
  
"It's small," Tyr commented, not telling Dylan anything he didn't already know. "Its silhouette doesn't match anything in the ship's files, and I don't recognize it. I'm detecting seven life signs. It's heavily armed for its size, though. Twin ion cannons, fourteen missile ports… and it's launching defensive anti-missile drones."   
  
"They're hailing us," Rommie announced.   
  
"On speaker," Dylan commanded, turning slightly toward the bridge's door as Harper walked in.   
  
"Unidentified vessel, this is Captain Samson aboard the Sayshell Union Border Guard Starship Terminus," the captain of the other vessel stated. "You are in Sayshell Union space, in violation of our sovereignty. State your business."   
  
"They're no match for us, Dylan," Tyr commented. Harper thought it amusing that the Nietzschean would make certain the captain knew he was in a superior bargaining position before he even said a word. It was so like Tyr.   
  
"This is Captain Dylan Hunt of the Commonwealth Starship Andromeda Ascendant," Dylan replied formally. "We did not mean at all to violate your territory."   
  
"Commonwealth?" the Sayshell captain asked. "The Andromeda? I've heard of you, Captain Hunt."   
  
"I hope that's a good thing," Dylan muttered, keeping his voice low enough so that he wouldn't be heard over the com system.   
  
"Do you need some kind of assistance?" Captain Samson asked.   
  
"Perhaps," Dylan replied noncommittally. He slashed quickly with his hand, letting Rommie know to cut off the com, and then he turned to Tyr. "Now you're sure we can take them if they turn out to be hostile, right?"   
  
"Yes," Tyr answered simply, obviously feeling that no elaboration was necessary. Dylan turned from the Nietzschean and looked quickly at everyone on the bridge, and Harper wondered if maybe he should say something.   
  
"All systems are a-okay," the engineer said. "I think Tyr's right - they're no match for us." Dylan only smiled in response.   
  
"To be perfectly honest, we could use some help," Dylan confirmed. "By any chance would you have any parts that could replace a blown-out power coupling?"   
  
"For a ship that size…" Samson replied, his voice dropping off suddenly. A few moments of silence followed as Harper assumed the Sayshell captain was consulting his engineer. "We don't have anything that would be a perfect match. Captain Hunt, but my engineer assures me that we have enough spare parts to put something together that could help you out. I hope you're not in a hurry."   
  
"Nothing too serious," Dylan replied with a sideways glance and an apologetic shrug of the shoulders toward Harper. "We appreciate any help you can offer." The com system cut off and Dylan went into action, giving short orders to everyone. "Harper, work with Samson's men to get our slipstream drive up and running again. Tyr, keep your eyes glued on that ship to make sure they don't try to pull a fast one on us. Rommie, keep an eye on any of them that come aboard. Beka, stay here on the bridge in case we have to get moving in a hurry." Everyone nodded in response and went off to perform their appointed duties. As Harper walked to the docking bay, he hoped against hope that the repairs would go quickly. He didn't like thinking about all the things that could have gone wrong with Trance in all the time it was taking him to find her.   
  
-------------------------------------------------   
  
"That was so cool," Jasmine said as she leaned back against the granite walls of the hallway, trying desperately to catch her breath after having led a dozen palace guards on a merry chase through the castle. "I still can't believe we got away with it. Do you have any idea what they would have done to us if we had gotten caught?"   
  
"Doesn't matter," Robin said, "because we didn't get caught."   
  
"But what if we did?" Trance muttered. "My father would have been pissed." Jasmine gave Trance a strange look, and Trance decided that human slang was likely lost on her. "I mean he would have been angry," she amended.   
  
"You shouldn't let that bother you so much," Robin commented. "You're a big girl now, Trance. I think you should stand up to him once and for all."   
  
"Yeah, right," Trance replied, making it obvious that she wasn't planning on standing up to the king anytime in the near future.   
  
"I'm serious," Robin said. "He may be a king, but he's also your father."   
  
"I don't think he cares much about that," Trance muttered. "I always feel like he only sees me as another one of his subjects. He looks down on me, like I'm so imperfect, like he can't believe someone as utterly flawless as him could possibly really be the father of someone like me."   
  
"I wouldn't say he's flawless," Robin replied, drawing a shocked gasp from Jasmine and a startled look from Trance. "What?" Robin asked. "You think a throne and crown make him perfect? I can't believe this…"   
  
"You shouldn't say things like that," Jasmine said sternly. "Someone might hear you." Then she looked around, as if she realized she should heed her own advice. "You're usually so careful about not letting anyone hear a word you say, and usually it's just meaningless nonsense. Then you practically shout out something like that. I don't get it - are you _trying_ to get in trouble?"   
  
"Sometimes you worry too much," Robin chided. "Look, Trance, all I'm really saying is that you should stand up to your father. I'm not saying you should challenge him, and I'm definitely not advising you to try to dominate him. Just hold your ground for once, but in a respectful way. You're an adult, now… it's time to make him see that."   
  
"As if it would even change anything," Trance responded miserably.   
  
"Look, as it stands, I don't see how you have anything to lose," Robin replied. "You really think things could get much worse?"   
  
"You never know," Trance answered.   
  
"Good evening, your highness," Normaf said, suddenly walking into view and interrupting Trance and her friends. "I need to speak with you, Trance."   
  
"Okay," Trance replied.   
  
"Alone, please," Normaf added, looking meaningfully at Robin and Jasmine. Both of Trance's friends took the cue and left the hallway quickly, neither one making a sound as they walked along the stone floor. Once they were gone, Normaf looked at Trance in silence for a few moments, seeming to choose his words carefully before he began to speak. The fact that such care was being taken made Trance extremely nervous. "It appears you have gone too far, this time," Normaf finally said. "Your father has heard of your latest escapade, and has decided that you are to grow up, immediately."   
  
"Oh really?" Trance asked.   
  
"Well, actually, you are to grow up in three days rather than immediately." Trance's stomach sank as she heard the words, and in her heart she knew the meaning.   
  
"He wouldn't do that," Trance muttered in disbelief.   
  
"He would, and he has," Normaf answered. "Your father has announced that you are to marry Randex in three days' time."   
  
"He can't do that," Trance replied.   
  
"Of course he can," Normaf answered. "He's the king, Trance. And more than that, he's also your father."   
  
"Can you help me?" Trance asked. "Can you get him to change his mind?"   
  
"No," Normaf responded grimly. "As I said, Trance, the proclamation has been made. There's no going back, now. I was there when he heard about… what you and your friends did… and he was outraged. I tried to convince him to wait, but he wouldn't hear of it. It's bad enough that I know you have contacted your human. I can't risk any more."   
  
"I understand," Trance replied. She sat in silence as Normaf gazed at her. "Do you think I could get him to change his mind?"   
  
"No," Normaf replied simply. "As I said, the announcement is public. You know what that means… what the repercussions would be if he took it back."   
  
"I know," Trance replied. "I guess I could run away…"   
  
"You couldn't," Normaf gasped. "You would be giving up so much."   
  
"I would be giving up a home that I didn't want to return to, and courtiers that hold me in disdain," Trance shot back.   
  
"And what do you think your father would do?" Normaf asked.   
  
"He can't do anything," Trance said. "He doesn't really have any power over me. If I leave Avalon, I'll be beyond his reach."   
  
"Yes, but your friends won't be," Normaf pointed out.   
  
"He wouldn't…" Trance muttered.   
  
"I think he would," Normaf answered. "If you leave against his wishes, he will cease to treat you as his daughter."   
  
"As if he does now," Trance grumbled.   
  
"You gain more favoritism than you imagine," Normaf answered. "But if you openly defy your father, if you publicly humiliate him to abandon him and return to your human friends… Well, he would be forced to take some kind of action. You have to understand that."   
  
"Yeah," Trance admitted, seeing the truth of the situation. "So I guess he holds me hostage."   
  
"Try not to think of it like that," Normaf replied, forcing a friendly, consoling smile to his lips as he approached Trance and pulled her into a comforting hug. "The fact of the matter is that you have responsibilities, my dear. You have to accept that."   
  
"I can't accept that I have to give up Harper," Trance mumbled into Normaf's shoulder. She pulled away enough to look into the older faerie's eyes. "I have to at least try to reason with him."   
  
"Well, as your friend Robin pointed out, it doesn't appear as if you have much to lose by trying," Normaf admitted. "But let me give you some advice, dear. First, keep in mind that the primary reason he's doing this is because he has concerns that you have a lot of growing up to do. Don't forget that, and make certain that you do not act like a spoiled child."   
  
"I don't act like a spoiled child!" Trance objected immediately. Normaf simply frowned at her in response, and Trance understood the point he was trying to make. "Okay, so maybe I have to learn to keep my mouth shut and think before I talk," she admitted. "I'll do my best. Anything else?"   
  
"Apologize for the way you've behaved around him," Normaf advised.   
  
"I have to apologize?" Trance asked. "I think he's the one that should be apologizing. He tore me away from my friends and now holds their lives over me to keep me here against my wishes."   
  
"From your point of view, that's true," Normaf said, "but your father is of the opinion that he is doing what's best for you. Screaming at him that he's wrong isn't going to help matters, Trance. You have to first say something to get him to listen. An apology is a great way to catch his attention. Once you accept some fault in this situation, he may be more likely to follow suit. There's no guarantee, of course, but it's worth a try."   
  
"I know," Trance admitted. "You're right, of course. So I have to accept my own share of the responsibility, and make certain I don't start arguing."   
  
"And make certain you don't make demands of him," Normaf said. "Kings hate that."   
  
"But how am I supposed to get him to change his mind?" Trance asked. "I can't get married in three days, Normaf. Don't you see that?"   
  
"I see only that your wedding to Randex will be guaranteed of coming to pass if you don't give the performance of your life," Normaf replied. "And even then…"   
  
"I know," Trance whispered. "Thank you, Normaf. I know you tried to stop him."   
  
"I did, child," he replied. "I only wish I could have done better by you. Now I can only offer my advice."   
  
"That'll be enough," Trance assured him. "It has to be."   
  
-------------------------------------------------   
  
"It's not just a job, it's an adventure," Harper muttered, doing his best Dylan impersonation. "Nothing adventurous about this at all. This sucks." He threw down a warped plasma coil and glared at Captain Samson. "You know, I really don't mind being an engineer, but engineering really _sucks_ ."   
  
"I think I've heard this all before," the Sayshell captain replied with a grin. To Harper's surprise, Samson was a human, and a large one at that. His dark brown hair and thick beard gave him an almost wild appearance, though his eyes seemed ever thoughtful and inquisitive. It made for a unique combination. "If it's any consolation, I think you've done a far better job than most could have, Mr. Harper." He took a step back and admired the engineer's handiwork, and a moment later Harper joined him.   
  
"Okay, so it's not my worst work," he admitted. "It'll get the job done, anyway."   
  
"Actually, it should do more than that," the captain commented as he looked over a data screen set into the wall a few feet away. "According to this, the new design you came up with should cut energy drain down 8% while in slipstream."   
  
"No way," Harper said with a smile. He walked over to the screen and looked it over, himself. "I am a _genius_ !" he yelled. "An absolute, friggin genius."   
  
"What did you do this time?" Rommie asked, her image appearing superimposed over the numbers on the data screen.   
  
"I took some of the spare parts from the Sayshell ship and came up with a power coupling design that's more efficient than what your Commonwealth engineers threw together. You'll be bleeding off 8% less energy now while you're in slipstream."   
  
"Actually, power loss has been decreased by 7.873%," Rommie corrected.   
  
"Oh, come on, you're allowed to round up to make me sound even better than I already am," Harper replied. "I'll bet you want to come down here and give me a kiss now, don't ya?" the engineer teased. Rommie's only response was to blink off of the data screen, leaving Harper alone with Captain Samson once again.   
  
"That's certainly an impressive job," he commented. "If you don't mind my asking, why are you doing here on Andromeda?"   
  
"Well, it's certainly better than the last job I had," Harper replied. "The food's a lot better, too. Oh, and did I mention that being here lets me have the job of chief engineer on one of the most advanced ships in the known galaxies?"   
  
"Those are certainly all great benefits," Samson admitted, "but have you ever considered a different career path?"   
  
"Such as?" Harper asked, wondering where the conversation was headed.   
  
"We could use people like you in the Sayshell Union," the captain replied. "I could guarantee you a commission as a lieutenant right now."   
  
"Lieutenant Harper?" the engineer asked dubiously. "Nah, I was never really the military type. I know I'm on a warship right now, but Dylan also lets us walk around always dressed like it's casual Friday. Oh, and he lets us call him 'Dylan,' too, which is more than most captains would likely be willing to agree to."   
  
"You're probably right, there," the captain admitted. "But with what I just saw you do here, I would expect you to be put at the head of an R&D team almost immediately."   
  
"Really?" Harper asked.   
  
"You could take some of what you've learned here, and add it in with everything that my people could teach you," he added. "R&D engineers in the Sayshell Union are treated very, very well, Mr. Harper. We're a relatively small union at this point - only thirteen planets. That means we have to have better technology than the next guy, since we don't really match up man to man. Those that make breakthroughs have almost celebrity status."   
  
"Really?" Harper asked. "You're kidding, right?"   
  
"No," Samson assured him. "Think about it - we're thirteen planets, always afraid that someday the Magog or Nietzscheans will notice we're alive. It preoccupies our people, actually. Now, in a society like that, imagine you're the man that comes up with a way to help protect millions, even billions, of lives."   
  
"Okay, I can see why you might be a little grateful," Harper admitted.   
  
"It goes beyond grateful," Samson replied. "One of my old professors at the Academy, Dr. Pharsalos, came up with a new configuration for our Mark IX defensive missile batteries. The increased efficiency of the design allows each of our cruisers to be equipped with three additional batteries, thus increasing defensive fire by 22%."   
  
"Impressive," Harper admitted.   
  
"Now Dr. Pharsalos has more money than he could spend in ten lifetimes," Samson said, an obvious hint of respect and jealousy flashing through his dark brown eyes. "He has four wives, seventeen concubines, and is all but worshipped anywhere he goes. See, in the Sayshell Union, scientists and engineers are our elite class, our celebrities, every bit as much as generals are for Nietzscheans and sports stars were to Earthers."   
  
"I'm an Earther," Harper growled, expecting an insult to be lobbed his way any moment.   
  
"Then you know the importance of gaining whatever edge one can in a battle," Samson replied. "You should totally relate to our philosophy."   
  
"I guess I can," he admitted. At first blush, it seemed strange to think about the intellectuals of a society getting all the women for a change, though he really liked the thought of that. _ And throw in a bit of fame and fortune, and I would have just about anything I've ever hoped for._   
  
"So what do you say?" Samson asked. "Come along with me, and we can get you a meeting with an admiral I know."   
  
"I can't," Harper blurted out immediately, though he groaned inwardly as he went about giving up the best shot he had ever had to realize all the dreams he had ever come up with. "I'm sort of in the middle of something already."   
  
"This quest of Captain Hunt's is noble, I'll give you that, but you can't really hope to succeed," the captain replied.   
  
"No, it's not Dylan's thing," Harper answered. "I'm looking for someone… a very special someone."   
  
"And you're going to pass on my offer for this special someone?"   
  
"Yeah, I think she's worth it," Harper replied.   
  
"I would hope so."   
  
"I've already taken far longer to find her than I would like," Harper added. "I don't want to make it seem like I'm being rude or anything, but I'd really like to see if this new power coupling will actually work. We have to get back underway."   
  
"I understand, Mr. Harper," Samson said sadly. "I wish you luck. I hope you find her."   
  
"So do I," Harper muttered as Samson left. _ And I really hope I get to her before something bad happens,_ he added silently. He suddenly shook his head and tried to relax. _Don't worry, he told himself. Assuming this new power coupling holds together, and if my hunch on her planet's location is actually right, I should find Trance within a week. What's the worst that could happen in only a week?_   
  
-------------------------------------------------   
  
_Three days,_ Trance kept repeating to herself, over and over again. _Three days, and I'll be married. Remember that whatever happens in this conversation, whatever he says and however tempted I am to lash out at him, I have to bite my tongue,_ she reminded herself. _Three days. I have to get him to change his mind…_   
  
Trance walked slowly into her father's throne room, astonished at how large it seemed when it was empty. She had never seen it this way before, and she was surprised that her father had actually agreed to see her in private as she had asked. Of course, she had expected to meet with him in a comfortable study with a cozy fireplace rather than his expansive, drafty throne room. _He probably expects me to put up a fight about getting married so soon, she decided. He wants to try to intimidate me from the outset. Whatever you do Trance, don't start arguing!_   
  
"Hello, father," she said softly as she reached the foot of the rose marble dais upon which her father sat on his throne. She gave a small curtsy, and made sure she looked up and established eye contact, an action that she hoped would remind her father that he was dealing with family rather than another sycophant that averted her eyes out of custom.   
  
"Why did you wish to speak to us, daughter?" Trance's father asked. She allowed her eyes to stray a slight bit, passing over his form quickly, hoping he didn't notice. On his imposing throne, constructed of gold and decorated with diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and lapis lazuli, King Oberon seemed every bit as regal as Trance remembered. Only once before had she been in the large hall while her father was on the throne - when she came of age on her hundredth birthday - and she had been amazed at the respect that her father could command. Now, viewing him from below as he relaxed his large, blue body underneath his cloak of spun platinum, Trance audibly gulped as she prepared for what she knew would likely be the most important conversation she would ever have.   
  
"I've been told of your plans for me," Trance said evenly, trying to keep all emotion, but especially anger, from her voice. From the king's impassive stare, she assumed she was doing a good job thus far. _At least he doesn't look like he's going to hit me yet,_ Trance thought, remembering the last time she had tried to go toe to toe with her father.   
  
"And we assume you have not come to thank us," Oberon replied, his multi-colored eyes boring into his daughter as he spoke.   
  
"That's correct," Trance answered. "I'm hurt that you would do this to me."   
  
"Hurt?" the king asked, obviously surprised that Trance had confessed to any sign of weakness. Again Trance concluded that her father had expected a fight.   
  
"Yes father, I'm hurt," Trance reiterated. "It goes beyond the fact that you've arranged a marriage for me without even bothering to tell me you were doing so," she continued. _Damn, don't get too antagonistic_ , she reminded herself. "But of course, that is the custom of our people, and so I understand that you didn't feel as if you were really doing anything wrong, she quickly amended.   
  
"Indeed, we _weren't_ doing anything wrong," the king interrupted.   
  
"You don't seem to trust me," Trance continued, refusing to take the king's bait and begin to argue the merits of arranged marriages. She had a lot more to say, and she wanted to make certain she did so before the shouting started. "I know my behavior has been less than perfect since my return, and I apologize. I guess I got a little used to not being answerable to anyone while I was away. However, I have acquiesced with your major requests. I went along to Randex's home to meet him and his family, as was expected of me. I performed well at the Ball that you held to celebrate our engagement-"   
  
"-You did, at that," her father agreed with a thin smile.   
  
"And most of all, I never came to you and accused you of caring more about my wedding than you did my return," Trance added.   
  
"What do you mean?" the king asked.   
  
"The Ball," Trance explained. "You threw a Ball to celebrate the fact that I was getting married. Father, I had been away for decades, even centuries, and when I came home you never publicly acknowledged any kind of relief or joy to have me home again." The memory of the way she had been treated tore at Trance, but she fought to suppress any tears or angry words. She was almost done, and would not let her emotions destroy her cause now. "Do you know how that made me feel?" She looked into her father's eyes for several moments, but had to turn away as she felt the corners of her eyes begin to grow moist. Then she felt the small tear on her right cheek, and turned her face to the floor, hoping her father would never notice. She continued to look down as silence reigned over the throne room. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, her father's voice, usually so powerful, whispered a reply.   
  
"We're sorry, daughter," he told her. "We never meant to hurt you like that. We… I… should have treated you better." Trance almost gasped when she heard her father stop using the royal plural as he spoke. In all her life, she had never heard him do that. For the first time, Trance felt as if she was being spoken to as a daughter, and not as another one of her father's subjects. "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"   
  
Trance shuffled her feet nervously, unsure of how to respond. "You know what I want," she finally muttered.   
  
"I do, at that," her father admitted. "But alas, I cannot give you that. You _will_ marry Randex. For me to break it off now would be a major slight against him, his family, and the entire Flint clan… and they are not without friends. It could make for an… uncomfortable situation. In this I am as helpless as you are."   
  
"Helpless?" Trance asked, hardly able to believe that her father would use that word to describe himself. "You? Father, you're the king. You're not at all powerless."   
  
"I am a slave to my position as much as you are," he said sadly. "Our people have certain customs, and I am expected to adhere to them. I am no more free than you are, Trance. In fact, I'm probably more shackled by royal responsibility than you are. As the king, I am expected to lead by example. That means I, more than anyone else in the kingdom, am expected to adhere to tradition.   
  
"When I was your age, I had no desire to be king, but my father kept me close, never letting me forget the responsibilities I would have one day. I never forgave him for denying me the opportunity to enjoy life. It's why I let you go for so long, Trance. I wanted you to have what I never did. Then, when you returned, you seemed more spiteful than ever." Trance suddenly felt extremely guilty for everything she had said to her father since she returned. She realized now that he had let her go in order to give her the gift he had always wanted, himself. _I never knew_ … she thought   
  
"I didn't mean to hurt you, father, or to appear ungrateful," Trance said quickly.   
  
"Perhaps it was unfair for me to let you go, to see what you would be missing by staying here for the rest of your life," Oberon replied. "I only made things worse by giving you what you wanted, and then taking it away again. You tasted freedom, and now you are being forced to give it up."   
  
"That's not all I'm giving up," Trance said, surprised that she and her father were having the conversation. She had never known him to be so reasonable, or herself to be so patient.   
  
"I know," Oberon answered. "You're giving up your friends."   
  
"I'm not giving them up, I'm abandoning them," Trance clarified. "I'm abandoning my friends… and my love." She saw a sudden ember of anger light into being within her father's eyes, and braced herself for his verbal onslaught. _I knew this was too good to be true._   
  
"You love a human," Oberon asked, speaking the words as a statement more than as a question. Trance only dared to nod, not trusting her tongue when it had betrayed her so many times before. "That's unacceptable," he stated firmly, "and yet so very much like you." The anger instantly ebbed from his eyes, and a thin smile appeared on his lips. "You always were too caring for your own good, daughter." Trance was caught completely off-guard, not knowing what to say or do. She had expected to be yelled out, but instead received a smile. She started to wonder if she was actually dreaming.   
  
"I cannot truly hold your feelings against you," the king finally said. "Love is a magical thing, Trance. Indeed, some of our people have trafficked in it for millennia. You cannot choose whom you love, and you cannot rightfully resist once you are under its spell. You've grown up so much, Trance. I need you to understand, though, that I cannot simply call off your wedding. I already announced that it will be held in three days. The final preparations are being made, and you and I are expected to abide by the proclamation as much as any other one of my subjects would be." Trance's heart sank at the words. She had begun to dare to hope for something miraculous, but now she saw that her hopes were in vain.   
  
"Please," Trance heard her voice say softly, her mouth once again speaking without her thinking about it. "This will kill me." The king looked at her sadly, and then his eyes lit up a slight bit. Trance could see that her father was thinking something, but the look in his eyes, so much like the mischievous gleam she often saw in Robin, didn't allow her to even guess at what her father was planning.   
  
"How can you know this will kill you, daughter?" the king asked. "Have you had a vision?"   
  
"What?" Trance asked, surprised that her father would speak of such things. He had often said, privately, of course, that the prophecies of his kingdom's seers was little but sheer folly. He had only supported diviners because so many of his people believed in them.   
  
"I am concerned that you have seen your death in a vision," the king said. It was then that Trance saw something she had never seen before - her father winked as he flashed her an almost roguish smile. "Tristan!" the king bellowed. "Tristan, get out here!" Within moments, the king's scribe had appeared from within his office adjacent to the throne room. Seconds later, several courtiers had also appeared, appearing to feel they were welcomed back if the king was returning to business.   
  
"What is it, sire?" Tristan asked quickly, producing a peacock feather quill from within the folds of his scarlet robes. "Do you need me to write down an edict?"   
  
"No, this is far more serious," the king replied hurriedly. "Our daughter has some serious concerns about her marriage," Oberon stated, his voice booming off of the marble walls. "She has said to me that she fears this marriage could lead to her death."   
  
"Sire?" Tristan inquired immediately, his eyes wide with shock as he began to scribble notes onto a piece of parchment. He was oblivious to the fact that he had not yet dipped the quill into any ink, and his writing passed over the paper without a trace. Trance almost laughed aloud at the man's absolutely befuddled behavior. "Th-this is t-t-terrible, sire," Tristan stammered, seemingly unable to speak and write at the same time. "Does she know the cause of her death? Is she to have an accident?" Suddenly his rattled voice lowered to a barely audible whisper as he leaned close to the king. "Do you suspect foul play, sire? Is she to be poisoned?"   
  
"The signs are all unclear," Oberon stated. Trance noticed that her father seemed to be turning his head slightly away from Tristan, directing his voice more toward his courtiers. Trance could see her father was making certain he put on a good show, so that word would spread quickly through the palace grapevine. "Send a missive to the Oracle," Oberon instructed. "Inform them that I need to consult with them immediately. No delay is acceptable when the where the welfare of the princess is concerned."   
  
"Of course, sire," Tristan gasped. "It will be done at once."   
  
"And you, daughter," King Oberon said, turning toward Trance, "you must come with me, immediately." Trance took her father's hand as he led her from the throne room, moving too quickly to truly appear regal, but not so fast that they would appear panicked. Within moments they had departed through a hidden door behind the throne, into the king's private study.   
  
"What was that about?" Trance asked, though she suspected what her father had been doing.   
  
"You have been in contact with your human, yes?" the king asked.   
  
"Yes," Trance confirmed, hoping the admission didn't get her into trouble.   
  
"Did you tell him where you are?"   
  
"No, of course not," Trance replied. "That's forbidden."   
  
"Of course," the king agreed. "But you're my daughter, Trance, and as much as we have not gotten along over the years, I know the defiant streak within you. It's the same one I myself had when I was young. After my performance in my throne room, I guess that small part of me is still around." He looked his daughter over quickly, and a large smile spread on his lips. "I _know_ you gave him some type of clue."   
  
"Yes," Trance admitted, wondering what her punishment was while still trying to figure out for sure what her father was up to.   
  
"Then we will leave your fate to the universe to decide," Oberon stated. "I told you before I am powerless to stop your wedding, and that's true. Only the Druids of Dana have that power, and even then only under the most unusual of circumstances." Trance knew she probably was displaying her confusion on her face, but she didn't care. She simply wanted answers. Now.   
  
"Within minutes we will get word from the Oracle that we are welcomed to visit for a prophecy," the king explained. "We will then go over, and the priests will announce that they see you are at a crossroad," he continued. "They will say that a second suitor seeks you out, and that if he can conquer the trials arrayed against him, that he has been chosen by the Fates to be your husband. Even more, his arrival will usher in a new age for our people."   
  
"How do you know they're going to say this?" Trance asked, suddenly wondering if her father was secretly a seer. It would certainly help explain some of her own undeveloped abilities.   
  
"They're going to say all of this because I'm going to command them to," the king explained simply, as if the answer should have been obvious. "I hope you haven't forgotten that I _am_ the king, after all. You have three days, Trance - three days to find another. However, there are two conditions. First, your chosen love _must_ be on the planet. You cannot choose to return to the stars to seek out someone who has not proven himself either smart enough to solve your riddles, or determined enough to conquer whatever obstacles are presented to him. Second, this must be true love, daughter. As much as I don't trust diviners, I will employ one to test the truthfulness of your claim, should you make one. If you meet these two conditions, you may have happiness… at least to a point."   
  
"What do you mean?" Trance asked.   
  
"If you find another within three days, then I will set you free to marry him if that is your wish," the king explained. "But there will be a price."   
  
"What?" Trance asked nervously.   
  
"We'll discuss that if you can pass my test," the king answered. "For now, though, I give you the only thing it is within my power to give you - time."   
  
**Nearing the end now...next Chapter coming after the holidays some time.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**   
  
By Nevermore   
  
**Author's Note:** Well, I was planning on having Chapter 11 be the last chapter in this story, but as I started writing I found I had a great deal more to say than I had planned. (As the saying goes… How do you make God laugh? Make a plan.) I had then decided to cut this chapter into two pieces, then as I was rewriting what is the final scene in this chapter, the characters went off in a totally new direction of their own, which necessitated some reorganization of the scenes. Now it seems like there might be two more chapters after this one (unless the characters do something unexpected again). Please bear with me, and as you're reading this, keep in mind that I am hard at work finishing it all up, hoping to avoid angering Jaimi too much by keeping this story going too long.   
  
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Andromeda shuddered into real-space from slipstream, and Dylan gazed at the large planet that dominated the viewscreen; it was a magnificent green and blue sphere looming before his ship.  
  
"Report," the captain said.  
  
"Stand by," Andromeda replied, drawing a surprised stare from everyone on the bridge. It was unusual that she was not immediately relaying the information she was getting with her sensors. "There seems to be some kind of interference," Andromeda finally said.   
  
"Increase the range of the sensor drones," Dylan commanded. "See if that helps."   
  
"What about a visual scan?" Harper suggested. He knew that while ionization in the planet's upper atmosphere might interfere with some scans, they should still be able to use a telescopic lens to get at least some idea of the planet below.  
  
"There's some kind of semi-opaque energy field," Rommie answered. "I've never really seen anything like it. It's distorting any kind of detailed view, and its scrambling my sensors. I can only see what the rest of you can."   
  
"Which isn't very much," Tyr commented.   
  
"That's right," Andromeda agreed. "It looks like the planet's surface is dominated by a large ocean, with several continent-sized landmasses covered in lush vegetation. Then again, maybe there are just huge areas of green and blue rock that happen to look like forests and seas through the blurry energy shield."   
  
"You can't figure out a way to run a scan?" Dylan asked.   
  
"Like I said, I've never seen anything like it," Rommie explained. "In fact, some of my sensors are telling me it isn't even there."   
  
"But there's obviously something," Beka commented.   
  
"Well, all your systems seem to be operating okay, Rommie," Harper said.   
  
"Beka, go down to the bay and prep the Maru with Tyr," Dylan ordered. "Then come back up here and take command while he and I go down there."   
  
"I wouldn't advise that, Captain Hunt," a new voice said as Normaf appeared on the bridge, as out of thin air.   
  
"Who are you?" Dylan asked immediately, knowing that behind him Tyr had already leveled a weapon at the intruder.   
  
"Hmm… this is very nice," Normaf commented as he continued to look around the bridge, ignoring Dylan's question. "Much more advanced that what I would have imagined…"   
  
"What are you doing here, Normaf?" Rommie asked, suddenly catching the faerie's, and everyone else's, attention by using his name.   
  
"You know him?" Dylan asked.   
  
"He was with Trance before she left," Rommie explained.   
  
"You're the one that took Trance away?" Harper asked angrily, rising to his feet and taking a threatening step toward the intruder. In a flash, he felt Tyr's hand settle on his shoulder, putting on a show of holding him back, though Harper knew the Nietzschean would likely release him if he decided to rush Normaf.   
  
"In a manner of speaking, I suppose you could say I took Trance away," Normaf responded evenly. "It's not like I abducted her, though. I explained the situation, and she accepted it."   
  
"And what exactly is the situation?" Dylan asked. Harper noticed that the captain's voice was far more pleasant than his own, and decided it had something to do with the skill Dylan always referred to as 'diplomacy.' Harper felt it was overrated.   
  
"The situation is that Trance was summoned back home by her father," Normaf explained. "I know that in some cultures a child has certain freedoms, but within our own, she was not entirely free to resist her parents' wishes. Especially given the circumstances."   
  
"What circumstances?" Harper asked.   
  
"Well, Trance's parents are… people of some importance on our planet," Normaf replied evasively.   
  
"They must be if they have trained lackeys to go and abduct their daughter and drag her home," Harper muttered. He took another angry step forward, pulling free of Tyr's restraining hand, and started to wonder what might happen to him if he were to try to rip off Normaf's head.   
  
"Dear boy, I have shown a great deal of patience with you thus far, due primarily to my affection for young Trance Gemini and my knowledge that she cares for you a great deal," Normaf responded, something in his face suddenly growing dark and threatening. "I would expect, however, at least a modicum of propriety from you, as well. I find it hard to believe that Trance would have become involved with someone who is every bit as much a boor as you appear to be."   
  
"Gentlemen, please," Dylan interjected smoothly, "I don't think we're going to get anywhere this way." He turned a warning eye on Harper, and the engineer took a half-step back as he decided to hold his tongue for the time being. The captain then turned once more to their guest. "Mr., uh… Normaf, was it?" The faerie nodded in confirmation. "I assume you didn't come here to my ship in order to trade insults with my engineer. What do you want?"   
  
"Actually, I had come to invite your engineer down to the surface," Normaf responded simply, his tone once more even and unthreatening. "This really is a wondrous ship," he added, suddenly allowing his eyes to dart from one viewscreen to another.   
  
"Perhaps I can arrange a tour for you at some later time," Dylan muttered. "As for my engineer, though, I think he would like to take advantage of your invitation, if it's still offered."   
  
"Absolutely," Harper said with a grin.   
  
"Okay then, Mr. Harper, if you could come here," Normaf said, motioning for Harper to stand at his side. "And as for you, captain, I have received word from our government that your ship may safely fall into orbit. However, no one from your ship is to be permitted to enter our atmosphere. I was instructed not to threaten you at all with this request, so let's just say that our people would like to avoid any unpleasantness."   
  
"I understand completely," Dylan replied. "No one from this ship will approach your surface at any time, you have my word," he assured the faerie. "Though I would like to request that within twenty-four of our hours you allow Harper to contact us to let us know that he's still okay."   
  
"Of course, captain," Normaf replied with a smile and nod. By that point, Harper had reached his side, and he turned to the engineer, the friendly smile he had given the captain suddenly becoming slightly unsettling. "Now please, Mr. Harper, clear your mind and make certain you do not stray from my side. This shouldn't hurt _that much._ " A moment later, the faerie and the engineer had vanished into thin air, leaving the rest of the confused crew standing silently on the bridge.   
  
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_What am I going to do?_ Trance wondered miserably. For two excruciatingly long days she had held out hope that Harper would come to rescue her from an eternity of loneliness. Worse than actually being by herself, though, she would be sentenced to living alone in a marriage, which Trance felt would actually be worse than being on her own for the rest of her life.   
  
For another brief moment she considered the possibility of escape, but discarded that option, just as she had a thousand times before. Normaf was right - her father would never forgive her for fleeing Avalon to be with humans. He would have to answer such a slight, and the only appropriate response, in her father's eyes, would be to kill Trance's friends. Trance was strong, but she knew she was no match for her father. While she would very likely succeed in escaping, if that were what she decided to do, she would never also be able to protect the mortals that would become the target of her father's wrath.   
  
_So I'm stuck here,_ Trance cursed silently. Her mind pointed out to her that her sacrifice, though uncomfortable, was noble, if nothing else. At the same time, however, it did her little good to acknowledge how noble she was being. She knew that Harper would likely feel that she had abandoned him, and the fact that he would never know the truth of the situation is what bothered her most. _If only I could explain…_   
  
She was suddenly knocked out of her reverie by a soft knock at the door. She continued to sit in silence, ignoring the sound. The last thing she wanted was another visitor trying to cheer her up. Again the knock came. And again. Trance could only think of one person who could possibly be so irritatingly persistent. "Go away, Robin," she said just loudly enough to be heard through the thick wooden door.   
  
"Robin?" an unexpected voice replied from outside. "Who's Robin?" _No,_ Trance thought, her heart suddenly leaping into her throat as she was certain she heard Harper's voice from outside. _It can't be. It has to be some kind of trick…_   
  
She got up and strode to the door angrily, pulling it open as she prepared to throttle Robin for playing such a cruel prank. Unexpectedly, she came face to face with Harper.   
  
"Harper?" she muttered, too shocked to say anything more. "Is it really you?"   
  
"In the flesh," the engineer replied with a grin. "Were you expecting someone else?"   
  
"Not really."   
  
"Then give me some lovin', babe," he replied, throwing his arms wide so that he could embrace his long-lost friend. "I can't believe it," Trance replied, launching herself into the engineer's grasp, grabbing him by the back of the head and pulling him into a passionate kiss.   
  
"Well then maybe it's a dream," Harper said with a shrug, obviously not concerned with the possibility as he ran his hands up and down Trance's sides, his touch causing her skin to tingle.   
  
"I can't believe this is happening," Trance muttered. She pulled Harper's face close again, pressing her lips against his and suddenly realizing that his lips were far dryer than they should have been. She pulled back and looked right at her white pillow as she shook herself awake, realizing that she had been dreaming once again. A single tear welled up in her eye as she stifled a sob. _It was all so real,_ she lamented sadly. In a single moment of dream she had been happier than she had been at any waking moment since arriving back home.   
  
"That's it, I'm leaving," she decided finally, not at all concerned about her father's anger. _I'll just have to figure out a way to hide my friends,_ she resolved. _He can't hurt them if he doesn't know where they are._   
  
In a flurry of motion she grabbed the few remaining garments she had from her adventures off-world, and threw them in a large leather overnight bag that Harper had given her as a gift. I'll have to get at least a few miles from the palace before I try to leave, she knew. Only since returning to Avalon had she begun to study additional ways of using her abilities, and teleportation was the newest skill she had picked up. Being a novice, though, she knew that she would require a great deal of time to gather the necessary energy, and that doing so would instantly tip off her father as to her plans. He would easily sense that she was trying to leave the planet.   
  
As she walked toward her chamber door, she silently wished that she had had a chance to say goodbye to Robin and Jasmine. Were it not for them, her stay in the palace would have been absolutely unbearable. _I'll go out to Sunrise Bluff,_ she decided, hoping that she would once again run into Ali. She thought it would be nice to at least say goodbye to him.   
  
As she opened the door, Trance immediately settled her eyes on two guards, and standing behind them was Normaf. "If I may have a moment of your time?" he asked pleasantly, his gaze seeming to pass right over her off-world outfit and the overnight bag slung over her shoulder.   
  
"Not now," Trance answered evenly, hoping that Normaf would not inquire as to what she had been up to.   
  
"Were you going somewhere?" he then asked, drawing a slew of silent curses in Trance's mind. She couldn't believe her bad luck.   
  
"Well, umm… I was going to go for a walk," she lied.   
  
"It's late, miss," Normaf responded. "I would think you'd like to get some rest, and you won't do yourself any good by getting worn out lugging that heavy bag around with you. You're to have a very busy day tomorrow."   
  
"Which is why I need to go for a walk," Trance replied. "I have to clear my head… I have so much on my mind."   
  
"Very well," Normaf said with a sly grin. "I suppose I will then instruct your guest to wait in your chambers while you're taking your walk."   
  
"My guest?" Trance asked, wondering who had come to see her. The only guesses she could come up with were Robin and Jasmine, and neither of them would have gone through Normaf to gain entrance. They would have just walked by.   
  
"Yes, your guest," Normaf said, gesturing off to his left, down the hall. Trance craned her neck out the hallway, and there, partially obstructed behind the larger of the two guards, was Harper.   
  
"Hey there," he said with a small wave, looking as coolly unconcerned as he ever did. "Long time no see."   
  
"Harper!" Trance squealed with delight, dropping her bag and pushing the guard out of her way as she grabbed her friend in a tight embrace. The engineer immediately pushed her back, softly, but firmly.   
  
"Your friend here tells me we have some things to discuss," the human said evenly. "I think we should go inside."   
  
"Umm… yeah," Trance agreed. She led Harper into her chambers, hardly noticing that Normaf gave the guards orders that no one, including Trance's father, was to disturb them under any circumstances.   
  
Once inside, however, Normaf walked over into a corner and stood passively, completely unobtrusive as Trance and Harper enjoyed their reunion. For several minutes the two simply held one another in a tight embrace, staring at each other as they allowed their physical contact to erase the gap that each of them had felt develop during their time apart.   
  
"I missed you," Trance said with a grin.   
  
"And that makes you happy?" Harper asked.   
  
"No, not at all," Trance replied quickly.   
  
"Then why are you smiling?" the engineer asked.   
  
"Seamus Harper, I'm seriously going to hurt you if you don't stop with the sarcasm," Trance threatened.   
  
"As if you'd like me anywhere near as much if I suddenly became serious," Harper replied. He then pushed himself free of Trance's grasp and looked her over from head to toe, causing Trance to shift her feet uneasily. Only Randex had ever seemed to pore over her body as Harper had, although with Harper she didn't find it offensive so much as unsettling. She became very self-conscious when anyone looked closely at her, and it seemed weird to her having Normaf in the room while Harper seemed to undress her with his eyes. "Have you been working out?" he asked with a smile, suddenly putting her completely at ease.   
  
"What did I just say to you?" Trance asked, though her amused smile belied her outwardly irritated demeanor. "How did you find me, anyway?" Trance suddenly asked, hoping to force Harper to be at least a little bit more serious.   
  
"You gave me a hint," Harper reminded her, pointing to areas of his face with his index finger. "The Big Dipper… remember?"   
  
"Yeah, I remember," Trance replied. "I was just hoping you would."   
  
"There any chance you could explain some things to me?" Harper asked.   
  
"Like what?"   
  
"Like why your people seem to write in an ancient Earth language," Harper began, "or maybe why it is that you're being held in your room like some kind of prisoner."   
  
"Well, I'm in here because my father doesn't want me leaving before tomorrow," Trance explained. "It's pretty important."   
  
"Why? What's tomorrow?" Harper asked curiously, feeling that Trance wanted him to ask the question so that she wouldn't be forced to volunteer that information on her own.   
  
"I'm getting married tomorrow."   
  
"What?!" Harper asked, a swell of emotions boiling up within him. He didn't know whether he wanted to scream, cry, punch a hole in the wall, or throw up. In the end, he simply stood completely still, a dumbfounded look on his face.   
  
"It's not like I want to," Trance said quickly. "It was an arranged marriage. My parents picked my husband for me."   
  
"An arranged marriage?" Harper asked. "They can't do that!"   
  
"Yes, they can," Trance said evenly. Though she completely disagreed with that particular tradition, she didn't like Harper attacking the ways of her people. It seemed rather offensive to her. "We're not human, Harper," Trance reminded him. "We have different customs, and you're not going to win any points by coming in here raging against our way of life, claiming some kind of moral superiority the way humans always do."   
  
"So you're going to get married?" Harper asked incredulously. "What the fuck, Trance? If you knew you were gonna get married, why the hell did you give me clues to get me out here? I would have been happier never knowing."   
  
"Seamus Harper, you watch your language," Trance chided. "And as for the wedding, like I said, I don't want to do it. I'd rather…"   
  
"Rather what?" Harper asked, part of him craving an answer while another part dreaded it.   
  
"Never mind," Trance replied.   
  
"No, seriously, what would you rather do?" Harper pressed.   
  
"I'd rather marry you," Trance said quickly, wincing as she spoke the words. She was afraid of what the engineer would say in response.   
  
"Are you asking me to marry you?" Harper asked with an amused smile. "Shouldn't I be the one to ask?" His brow furrowed in thought, and he got a faraway look in his eye. "On the other hand, though, does this mean I don't have to go to the trouble and expense of buying an engagement ring for you?"   
  
"Keep it up, Harper," Trance muttered, confused as to how Harper could still be cracking jokes.   
  
"You know I'd love to marry you, Trance," Harper said with a warm smile. "What do I have to do to change your father's mind?"   
  
"I don't know," Trance answered. "First of all, when you say you want to get married, you have to be clear on something."   
  
"What?" Harper asked.   
  
"Well, my father kinda decreed that I'm getting married tomorrow," Trance explained. "If you're going to marry me, it can't be at some distant time in the future…"   
  
"It has to be tomorrow," Harper concluded, getting a confirming nod from the faerie. Outwardly he seemed calm, but Trance could see how Harper was suddenly shifting his feet nervously and wringing his hands as his eyes darted around the room, avoiding meeting her gaze. Trance knew how unpleasant the situation was for her friend. She had known many human males, and none of them had ever liked the idea of settling down with one woman, even when they knew that the woman in question was perfect for them. "This is an awful lot to process, you know," Harper commented.   
  
"I know."   
  
"I didn't exactly expect this."   
  
"I know, Harper," Trance said sadly. "I understand that you can't do this."   
  
"I'm not saying that," Harper said quickly, surprising the faerie. "Trance, while you were gone I felt completely lost. I was miserable from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep. I can't imagine going through another day without you, let alone the rest of my life. If I have to marry you tomorrow to keep you with me, then I'll do so, no problem."   
  
"You don't have to do this," Trance said, suddenly feeling guilty about the position in which she had the human.   
  
"I know that," Harper assured her. "This is what I want to do, Trance. I _want_ this. I _want_ to marry you."   
  
"Okay," Trance said, "I guess that's the first step."   
  
"Wait a second," Harper said, a look of realization flickering to life in his eyes. "What exactly did you mean when you said your father _decreed_ that you were getting married tomorrow?"   
  
"Oh, that…" Trance answered. "Umm… well… my father's a king."   
  
"A _king_ ?"   
  
"Well, yeah," Trance replied. "Didn't you notice that you're in a castle?"   
  
"Not really," Harper said. "I was on the bridge of the Andromeda, and then your friend Normaf sorta teleported us down here, or something. I never really saw the building at all. I figured it was just a really big house."   
  
"A really big house?" Trance asked dubiously.   
  
"Okay, a really, _really_ big house," Harper amended, "as in, a house that's so big it takes twenty minutes to walk to your room from the cellar that Normaf entered through. But it never occurred to me that I was in a castle, Trance. It's not exactly like I've spent much time around royalty in my life." Trance couldn't help but smile.   
  
"Actually, you have," she said. "I'm a princess."   
  
"What?"   
  
"My father's a king," Trance pointed out. "That makes me a princess."   
  
"Oh, shit…"   
  
"Harper, watch your language," Trance said again. "I can't believe you talk like that in front of a future monarch."   
  
"Wow, that's… umm…"   
  
"Unexpected?" Trance guessed.   
  
"That's one way to put it," Harper responded. "I can't believe this…"   
  
"What?"   
  
"Well, it was bad enough when I thought I was gonna have to go to a possessive father and get him to let me marry his daughter against his wishes," Harper explained. "But it's not even as simple as that, because the possessive father happens to be a king, and his daughter a princess. Can this get any worse?"   
  
"Do you really want me to answer that?" Trance asked.   
  
"No, but I guess if it does get worse than that, I'm gonna have to hear it sooner or later," Harper lamented.   
  
"Well, the thing is…" Trance hesitated, "well… umm… see, my father sorta hates humans."   
  
"Oh, great," Harper replied.   
  
"Everyone else pretty much does, too," Trance added.   
  
"This just keeps getting better," Harper groused. "Should I even dare to ask why they hate us?"   
  
"My people used to live on Earth," Trance explained.   
  
"What?" Harper asked. "Your people are from Earth?" While the statement seemed unbelievable, he knew it would do a great deal to explain the use of ancient Earth languages, and also why Trance had used an Earth constellation as a clue for finding her.   
  
"We're not from Earth," Trance corrected quickly. "Some of us just lived there for awhile. It was like a colony of sorts. A bunch of us lived in small villages, mostly in the British Isles but there were also a few families spread around here and there. We had a couple named Isis and Osiris that lived in ancient Egypt, and a father and his two sons, Vishnu and Shiva, lived in India."   
  
"Oh my God," Harper muttered, realizing the effect that Trance's people had had upon humans.   
  
"Exactly," Trance said, seizing on the absolute appropriateness of Harper's words. "As you can imagine, our people didn't exactly take well to the idea of humans, suddenly armed with bronze, and then later iron weapons, violently taking back their world. We held on for quite awhile in the Isles, though. In the end, during a period the humans refer to as the Inquisition, the last of us finally fled in order to avoid getting burned at the stake."   
  
"I had no idea…"   
  
"Yeah, well, assuming we don't die from injury or illness, my people are pretty much immortal," Trance explained. "That means there are quite a few on this planet that remember Earth as it was millennia ago, and they miss it greatly. Avalon is a nice enough place, a comfortable colony to have as a second home after fleeing Earth, but it's not as nice as what we once had."   
  
"So your father is really not likely to go along with this," Harper muttered.   
  
"He's going to test you," Trance assured her lover. "He'll test you with every intention of having you fail."   
  
"Your Highness," Normaf said from the corner, finally joining the conversation, "I don't believe that statement may be entirely accurate."   
  
"What do you mean?" Trance asked curiously.   
  
"Well, you've both already been tested rather thoroughly," the king's advisor replied.   
  
"He tested us already?" Trance asked dubiously.   
  
"Not exactly," Normaf answered evasively. "I never said your father was the one that did the testing, child. I only said that you had been tested."   
  
"What do you mean?" Trance asked.   
  
"Yeah," Harper agreed.   
  
"Not now," Normaf said evenly, cutting off their inquiries. "I will explain it all when the time is right. For now, though, I suggest that you both freshen up a bit. We're going to speak with the king."   
  
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"Hello, father," Trance said softly as she walked into her father's study, Harper following closely behind. The king looked up briefly from a scroll and grunted to acknowledge his daughter's presence, but he paid no more mind than that. Trance and Harper stood impassively for several minutes, and Harper began to wonder just how long he would be made to wait. Trance, for her part, was hoping her father got to her sooner than he had at times in the past. He had once kept her waiting for thirteen hours before he finally looked up from his work to speak with her. She knew Harper would never be able to endure such treatment politely.   
  
"So, this is him?" Oberon finally commented after almost half an hour, though he kept his eyes fixed firmly on the parchment in his hands.   
  
"Yes," Trance replied. "This is the one I wish to marry."   
  
"So you say," Oberon responded, finally looking at his daughter, his eyes boring into hers as he seemed to make a concerted effort not to acknowledge the presence of a human in his chamber. "What's its name?"   
  
"_His_ name is Harper," Trance shot back, immediately wincing as she realized she had returned to the same old confrontational pattern that had never gotten her anywhere with her father. "I'm sorry," she apologized immediately, leveling her voice and straining to muster the same thin smile she always saw on the courtiers. "Father, this Harper," she said, stepping to her left and gesturing to the engineer with a flourish of her hand. "He's come very far to find me."   
  
"And just in the nick of time, too," the king muttered. Trance figured it was a safe bet that her father had hoped her human lover would never find her. It would certainly have made things far easier. "So does it speak?"   
  
Trance was just about to respond angrily again when she heard Harper finally speak up behind her. "Yes, Your Grace," he said smoothly, shocking Trance with the tone of his voice. "My name is Seamus Harper, of Earth."   
  
"Well then, Seamus Harper," Oberon replied, "I hope you and your friends were careful enough to make certain that no one followed you through slipstream. The last thing I need is more humans stumbling upon our world."   
  
"I think your secret's safe," Harper replied, clasping his hands in front of him, appearing to stand more at ease. Trance could tell, however, that Harper was extremely nervous, as his hands were both starting to redden with the tight grip he was exerting.   
  
"I've heard humans say that before," Oberon commented.   
  
"That was in a different time," Trance reminded her father. "Humans have changed since then. They've gone to the stars. They built their Commonwealth."   
  
"And they also destroyed it," the king shot back. "It's all too typical of them. Have I taught you nothing?"   
  
"It wasn't the humans that tore down the Commonwealth," Trance objected.   
  
"Yes it was," Harper interjected, hoping he would be able to get somewhere with his approach. He could tell that Trance was trying to convince her father that his long-held prejudices were incorrect. Harper knew that would never work, at least not anytime soon. He could remember how long it had taken him to accept Rev on the Maru with him. _No, prejudice isn't something that can be quickly erased or adjusted,_ he knew. _Then again, though, I don't have to convince him that his view of humans is wrong. I only have to convince him that I'm not like the rest. If I can make him see me as an individual, and judge me on my own merits rather than according to his view of my species, I may have a chance._   
  
"No, Harper, it was the Nietzscheans," Trance pointed out.   
  
"And when you come right down to it, the Nietzscheans are simply human," Harper replied, turning his attention away from the king and settling his blue eyes on Trance. "The Nietzscheans were developed from human DNA. They are the epitome of everything it is to be human. They're adaptable, cunning, ambitious, ruthless, and proud. In short, they're everything most humans aspire to be."   
  
"You admit this?" Oberon asked incredulously.   
  
"Yes," Harper said. "You expect me to deny it? I'm neither stupid nor a liar. I can see how most humans are. Besides, even if you argue that Nietzscheans are distinct from the humans they sprang from, the fact is that humans created them. We're responsible for the results of that action, so at the very least we indirectly caused the fall of the Commonwealth."   
  
"Interesting," Oberon responded. "I can see what you're doing, though, Mr. Harper. It will take more than a few pretty words to get me to agree to your marrying my daughter."   
  
"Of course it will," Harper answered, "but maybe if we all sit down and discuss this for awhile, we could all make some headway in getting what we all want."   
  
"What I want is my daughter to stay here on her own planet, with me," Oberon said evenly. "I want her to marry an upstanding member of our society, a man from a respectable family that will take good care of her. And I want her to stop making time with her mongrel friends."   
  
"Mongrel?" Trance blurted out angrily. "How dare you!"   
  
"Silence, child!" the king bellowed, his voice thundering off the walls and shaking the room. Trance took several steps back in fear while Harper did his best to remain standing. "You have disgraced your people, Trance," the king continued, his voice returning to an unsettling monotone. "You have disgraced me, your mother, and yourself. I don't see how I can possibly allow you to marry this human. He's a rather unremarkable specimen, even by the standards of his pitiful species."   
  
"You take that back," Trance said menacingly. Harper tried to decide whether he should step to Trance's side to calm her down, doubting that it would be wise to be standing next to her if the situation came to blows between her and her father.   
  
"I will not," Oberon answered.   
  
"You said I could choose who I would marry," Trance shot back. "You promised… and for the first time in my life I really believed you would keep your word… and that you actually cared about me."   
  
"I do care about you, Trance," the king said. "That is why I can't allow you to ruin your life by marrying a mortal… and a human, at that."   
  
"It's my life to ruin if that's what I choose," Trance responded angrily.   
  
"No, it's not," the king said. "You're royalty, Trance. The people have certain expectations of you. They pattern their own lives after the choices we make. You have to understand what this could mean to our society."   
  
"And you have to understand that I can't just abandon Harper," Trance returned.   
  
"Ah, Your Highness," a new voice said cheerily as Normaf entered the room. "I've been searching all over for you." Normaf looked the scene over, allowing his eyes to fall, in turn, over the king, Trance, and Harper. "I truly hope I'm not too late."   
  
"This is not a good time," Oberon muttered.   
  
"I beg to differ," Normaf answered, drawing a surprised gasp from Trance. In all her life, she had never known anyone but herself to stand up to the king. She knew Normaf was suddenly walking a very fine line. "I have some information that I feel might be useful in this conversation."   
  
"And what, pray tell, might that information be?" Oberon asked.   
  
"Well, it concerns the matter of your daughter and her, uh… suitor," Normaf answered. "I presume you feel the human is not fit to marry the princess."   
  
"That's a bit of an understatement," Oberon replied.   
  
"I have proof of his superior ability and devotion to Princess Trance," Normaf said smoothly. "If you would allow me to bring in witnesses?"   
  
"Fine, but make it quick," the king responded with a dismissive flourish of his hand. Normaf clapped his hands together twice and the door to the study opened quickly. Two young faeries walked in, one male and one female.   
  
The male stood five and a half feet tall, with alabaster skin and long, straight auburn hair. His ice blue eyes seemed to cut a swath through the room as he looked everyone over quickly, seeming amused at the tension that hung in the air.   
  
The female stood only a shade above five feet tall, with sea-green skin and indigo hair that was all accentuated by the light blue dress she wore. Her eyes, seemingly made of liquid gold, held a mischievous gleam that Trance found vaguely familiar. "Calypso?" Trance asked hesitantly.   
  
"Yep," the female replied.   
  
"Who's he?" Trance asked, pointing to the other faerie standing next to her.   
  
"What is _he_ doing here?" Oberon asked, also pointing to the same individual.   
  
"You know him?" Trance asked her father.   
  
"Of course he does," the male answered. "I've conducted some business for your father at many times in the past."   
  
"I suppose you've been up to something," the king muttered, turning once again to Normaf. "I should have known."   
  
"What's going on?" Trance asked.   
  
"Your highness, this, as you know, is Calypso," Normaf said to Trance. "She was in the palace when you were very young, and she is my niece. This other one," he added, pointing to the other faerie, "is her brother, Puck."   
  
"I've heard of you," Trance said.   
  
"Well I would hope so," Puck answered. "Gods know I've been busy enough keeping my hand in the business of the universe. That's how I came to be here, actually."   
  
"What have you been up to?" the king growled at Normaf.   
  
"Well, Your Grace, I was understandably very concerned that young Trance had been spending time with humans," Normaf replied.   
  
"As well you should be," the king agreed.   
  
"Yes, all too many of them are nothing but trouble," Normaf said, drawing an angry glare from the princess. "The thing is, though, that some of them, all too few of them, actually, are like diamonds in the rough, possessing incredible potential if they could just be shined up a bit."   
  
"So you took it upon yourself to find out if this one has even a modicum of worth," Oberon surmised, pointing to Harper.   
  
"Yes, Your Grace," Normaf answered. "I knew that you would want to look into the character of your daughter's friends, but you were prevented from doing so by the fact that you are our king. It's doubtful the people would have understood."   
  
"So what did you do?" the king asked suspiciously.   
  
"Well, first of all, I sent my niece to test Mr. Harper," Normaf said.   
  
"Test?" the king asked. "Exactly how did she test him?"   
  
"Yeah," Harper interrupted. "I've never seen her before in my life. Whatever she says is a lie."   
  
"Oh really?" Calypso asked the engineer, turning to face him. "You don't remember me?" As she spoke, her features began to shift and she grew several inches as her skin color changed from sea-green to human flesh tone. Her hair lightened from indigo to a bright blue, and her golden eyes darkened into a soft, all-too-familiar brown.   
  
"Oh my God," Harper muttered. "Delilah."   
  
"I'm flattered that you remember," Delilah replied.   
  
"How did you…" Harper trailed off, wondering which of his countless questions he should ask first.   
  
"I'm a shapeshifter," Calypso answered. "My uncle sent me to test you, to make sure that you were really as interested in Trance as you claimed. He wanted to make certain that the first alluring woman that came along wouldn't be enough to tempt you."   
  
"What do you mean by tempt?" Trance asked suspiciously.   
  
"I asked him to run away with me," Delilah said, turning toward the princess. "He refused."   
  
"Of course I did," Harper said quickly.   
  
"Though I think I almost had you the second time," Delilah added, turning back to the human.   
  
"Second time?" Harper asked in reply. Again Delilah's body began to shift and reform. Once more she grew, this time taking on a form that stood over six feet tall and was heavily muscled. Her hair turned a dark brown, and a full, shaggy beard grew onto her face. Within seconds, Harper was once more looking at Captain Samson. "Oh, I don't believe this."   
  
"What?" Trance asked.   
  
"Captain Samson?" Harper asked. "So I guess there's no such thing as the Sayshell Union, then."   
  
"Oh, there is," Samson assured him, "but I don't work for them. While I was aboard Andromeda as Delilah, I downloaded the computer virus into you, and that disabled the ship the first time you jacked into her system. Then I showed up as Captain Samson, to tempt you with fame and fortune. I think you almost took me up on the offer."   
  
"Harper!" Trance shouted.   
  
"The operative word here is 'almost,' " Harper said with a grin.   
  
"Fame and fortune?" Oberon asked. "A human passed that up?"   
  
"I promised him more money than he could imagine," Samson said as his form shifted back into that of Calypso. Even as the words were spoken, the pitch of the voice lost its hard, masculine edge and began to flow with Calypso's melodious, seductive tone. "I also promised him fame, a plethora of sycophants wherever he went, and a harem that was likely to grow daily."   
  
"And this human refused?" Oberon asked, obviously shocked. "Interesting…"   
  
"He is certainly not like most humans," Normaf commented. "In fact, I believe it might be worth our time to see if there are more like him. Humans have been suffering for centuries, sire. It might have been unpleasant, but the time has done wonders for their character."   
  
"And what was your role in all of this?" Oberon asked Puck, suddenly turning on the slightly built faerie.   
  
"I made certain that Puck kept an eye on the princess," Normaf said, answering for his nephew. "Perhaps you did not know, my king, but your daughter has become quite an accomplished dreamwalker. I didn't want her to contact her human acquaintances to help them along. It wasn't enough to simply test Harper's character - I also wanted to test his mind. Trance had given him a single clue as to her location, and I wanted to see if he was clever enough to figure it out."   
  
"Which he obviously did," Oberon concluded.   
  
"Yes, without any assistance from here," Normaf said. "Puck saw to that."   
  
"How?" Trance asked.   
  
"By interrupting you every time you were alone long enough to try contacting your friends," Puck replied, his own form beginning to shift. Ice blue eyes became an iridescent green, and his hair became a bright, curly blue. His complexion developed color, becoming human flesh-tone, and features changed just enough to allow Trance to come face to face with Robin.   
  
"I guess I should have known," Trance commented. "Every time I tried to dreamwalk, you showed up at my door."  
  
"And every time you seemed sad, Jasmine and I made certain you were amused and distracted enough so that you didn't become convinced you should try to run."   
  
"So you knew Harper was being tested, and you decided to make sure I stayed here and out of the way until you were done with him," Trance concluded.   
  
"Well, that's not entirely it," Normaf said with a sideways glance toward the king. "I also figured your father would like to know just how taken you are with this human."   
  
"What do you mean?" Trance asked suspiciously, staring at Normaf with accusing eyes.   
  
"He means that Harper wasn't the only one that was tested," Trance heard a familiar voice say behind her. She spun around and came face to face with Ali, who was standing where Robin had been only moments before.   
  
"You bastard," Trance said. "You led me on like that?"   
  
"I offered you an attractive alternative," Ali said, his silver hair and eyes reflecting the dancing light of the flames that burned softly in the chamber's large fireplace.   
  
"What's going on?" Harper asked.   
  
"Just as Calypso tempted you as Delilah, so did I tempt Trance as Ali," Puck said smoothly.   
  
"And what happened?" Harper asked nervously, not entirely certain he wanted to know the answer.   
  
"Nothing happened," Trance said quickly.   
  
"I don't know that I'd say _nothing_ happened," Ali commented, his features shifting quickly until, moments later, Puck was standing in the middle of the room, every eye trained on him. "You were quite tempted, Princess," he said slyly. "You realized that neither of the alternatives you were presented with - Randex and Harper - was exactly perfect. You care deeply for Harper, but he's mortal. He'll die within a short time, leaving you alone. Randex will be with you forever, but given his less than endearing personality, forever isn't exactly an appealing thought. Ali, however, offered a great, understanding personality, as well as the prospect of happiness for the rest of your life, however centuries or millennia that may be."   
  
"Immortality isn't that important," Trance said quickly, having noticed through the corner of her eye that Harper was obviously uneasy with the conversation.   
  
"Of course it is," Puck replied. "Immortal is what we are. It's like saying mortality isn't important to a human. It's probably the most important trait they have to deal with - it preoccupies some of their greatest thinkers. Day in, day out, the most enlightened humans realize that they will die, just as you must realize that you won't."   
  
"Umm, Trance," Harper said.   
  
"Not now, Harper," Trance replied, suddenly turning toward the door and moving away as quickly as she could. "I can't talk about this now." Within moments she was out the door and running down the hall, her quick footsteps fading quickly, leaving a dead silence in their wake.   
  
***************************************************************   
  
_Coming Soon_…… Trance has to decide whether she can accept the idea that a few years of love is better than a lifetime alone, and she learns the price of her father's consent if she decides to go through with her marriage to Harper. Oh, and Tyr gets in a fight, too…   
  
Jaimi/Nevermore Copyright@2002 


	12. Chapter 12 - The Conclusion

**Chapter 12**   
  
By: Nevermore   
  
**Author's Note:** I just want to say a few things really quickly. First, a 'thank you' needs to be said to Jaimi, for not only giving me the opportunity to finish this wonderful story of hers, but for also giving me (mostly) free rein in taking it in almost any direction I wanted to go (until the end, which was a wonderful conclusion she had in mind all along), and also pretty much leaving all my writing alone before posting. I could never have made this story as good as I think it is without her constant support and encouragement. And speaking of support and encouragement, I also want to thank all the people that gave such positive feedback in their reviews during the course of this story. The comments were all appreciated, and made me strive harder to make each chapter better than the one before it. So if you like how this ended, let Jaimi and me know with a wonderful review. And if, perchance, you did not like it, then let us know why, so that we'll do that much better next time.   
  


*************************************************

  
  
"I don't want to see you," Trance muttered as her father walked into her room, unbidden.   
  
"We didn't give you a choice, daughter," the king replied. "We would speak with you."   
  
"I'm not interested in anything you have to say," she answered, her voice holding a small taste of venom. "You lied to me. You said I could choose who I would marry, and then when Harper showed up, you changed your mind. I can't believe I ever trusted you."   
  
"I hope you don't think I'm completely dim," he said softly in reply, once again refraining from using the royal plural in his speech. "I don't doubt that you're upset with my actions, but that isn't what's had you in here for the last hour, trying to hold back your tears."   
  
"What tears?" Trance shot back, though she knew that her puffy eyes would give her away. "I'm not crying."   
  
"Not at present," the king agreed, "but you have been recently."   
  
"So?" Trance asked.   
  
"So you've finally realized why it is that I never wanted you to get too close to a human."   
  
"Because you hate them?" Trance asked. "I realized that years ago… no news there."   
  
"I don't hate them," her father replied. "Don't get me wrong, it's not like I particularly like them, but I don't hate them. "True, they kicked us off Earth, but the fact of the matter is that Earth is their world - they were the indigenous species, not us. They became strong enough to take back what was rightfully theirs, so they did. I think most of our people were more upset by the fact that they were beaten down by a back of backward savages than they were about being forced to leave the planet. It's a matter of pride more than anything else."   
  
"So then why don't you like them if it has nothing to do with us leaving Earth?"   
  
"Because they're dangerous," the king replied. "They live for such a short time, Trance, that they don't give much thought to the consequences of their actions. How many worlds have they destroyed in their endless pursuit of resources? How many times did they almost destroy their own world? They think nothing of taking actions that could have disastrous consequences a hundred years down the line, because the ones that make the decision won't be around to have to deal with its results. Everywhere they go, they make a mess of the universe, and it's long-lived species like us that are made to suffer for it."   
  
"But they're not all like that," Trance countered.   
  
"And I would assume you are next going to tell me that your Harper is one of the exceptional ones," the king said.   
  
"Would you expect me to fall for someone that was primitive, destructive, and shortsighted?" Trance asked indignantly. "Of course he's one of the good ones. Don't forget that you're the one that raised me - you surely can't be willing to admit to the possibility that I was never taught good judgment."   
  
"And let's not forget how clever you can be, either, child," the king replied. "You don't plan on backing down an inch on this, do you?"   
  
"I'm as persistent as I am clever," Trance said with a thin smile, sensing a major shift in her father's mood. She was certain he was going to allow her to be with Harper.   
  
"I know I cannot oppose you forever, Trance," her father grumbled, "so I guess I have little choice but to allow you to marry your human, if that is what you wish."   
  
"Really?!"   
  
"Yes," the king affirmed with a reluctant nod.   
  
"Thank you," Trance said, lunging toward her father and wrapping him up in a tight hug. It was something she had never done, and the entire situation seemed somewhat surreal to her.   
  
"However," her father added, "I would ask that you reconsider your own decision."   
  
"What?" Trance asked. "Why?"   
  
"Because while I would allow you to do this if you wish, there is, as I warned you before, a price."   
  
"What price?" Trance asked nervously.   
  
"Death," her father said evenly, his face completely devoid of any emotion. For the briefest of moments Trance thought she saw something akin to grief in her father's eyes, but it vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.   
  
"Death?" Trance asked. "Whose death?"   
  
"Yours," Oberon replied. "You will have to die. You will have to become mortal."   
  
"What?" Trance asked. "How?"   
  
"The Druids of Dana can make it so," the king said. "They alone have the power over the very forces of life and death. It is through their power that our people first became immortal, and through them that you will lose that most precious of gifts."   
  
"You would make me mortal?" Trance asked.   
  
"No, you would make you mortal," the king corrected. "The choice is yours, daughter. I'm simply letting you know the price of your actions."   
  
"Why?"   
  
"Because I feel you have a right to know what will befall you," the king said simply.   
  
"No, not that," Trance said quickly. "Why are you going to take away my immortality?"   
  
"Because it's the only way our people will accept it," Oberon explained. "If you were to marry a human as an immortal, our people would be most displeased. However, if you make a sacrifice worthy of some of our greatest epics, all in the name of love, there are those that will accept your decision. In the eyes of many, you may be esteemed even more highly."   
  
"So you're going to make me mortal so that you can hold onto your throne," Trance surmised.   
  
"No," Oberon objected. "At least, not exactly. While it's true that this part of the price of your wedding will likely make it possible for me to hold the throne, it's not the only reason I'm forcing this upon you."   
  
"This _part_ of the price?" Trance asked. "Are you telling me there's more?"   
  
"Yes, there is one more thing," the king replied. "Should you and Harper ever have any offspring, the first will be sent here when it turns thirteen years old, to complete its growth among us."   
  
"No," Trance said emphatically. "There's no way in hell that's going to happen."   
  
"It has to," Oberon answered.   
  
"Why?" Trance challenged. "Give me one good reason."   
  
"Because our people are dying," the king shot back. "We've been alone on this world for millennia, becoming stagnant and complacent. There's a reason many of our people look back on our time on Earth as a Golden Age. We were constantly faced with new challenges and ideas while we were among the humans, and we were made better because of it. Time has been passing us by while we've been on Avalon. We must go forth once again, to become part of the universe around us. Our people are not ready for that, though. We'll need someone that can speak for us, who can understand us while still being at home among the people that have become so alien to us. Our people have become an island apart from the galaxy, and we now need a bridge. Your child will be that bridge."   
  
Trance could only gaze at her father, utterly in shock at his explanation. She had had no idea her father had been planning on bringing their people once more among the outlanders. _And for my child to be involved…_   
  
"I need this of you, daughter," the king said. "Our people need it. Surely you understand."   
  
"I do," Trance admitted. "But I don't know how Harper is going to feel about this."   
  
"He must not know," the king said quickly. "Well, he at least must not know about our plans for your offspring. He might treat the child differently somehow… Trance, your child must truly be a product of the civilization that exists out there. It can't be sheltered or protected overly much, and it must not have any idea of its role until the time has come. Surely you understand."   
  
"I do," Trance admitted, "but I don't know that I can keep this secret from Harper."   
  
"You may tell him when the time is right," Oberon responded, a hint of sadness in his eyes. Trance knew her father was all too aware of what he was asking. "Tell your human that your are being required to be mortal. I think it's only fair that he know that much, at the least."   
  
"Okay," Trance mumbled, her head swimming with the possible ways she would even broach the subject. _Oh, hi Harper,_ she imagined herself saying over dinner. _Guess what, my father said we could get married, and the only price he could think of was to make me die in a few decades. Isn't that wonderful? Please pass the salt._ She shook her head in frustration, unable to plan the conversation she knew she would have to take place very, very soon.   
  
"Oh, there's something else," the king added, after he had only half-turned toward the door.   
  
"Nothing else," Trance growled. "I think you've laid enough conditions upon me."   
  
"I would ask that you invite your friend, Captain Hunt, down here to the palace," the king said, shocking his daughter. "I would speak with him."   
  
"About what?"   
  
"This Commonwealth he's planning on building…" her father replied, "it sounds like a very good idea."   
  
"It is," Trance said.   
  
"Yes, if our people are to leave Avalon, we will need friends," the king mused aloud. "We think it would be a very good thing to have friends in the Commonwealth."   
  
"I'll invite him down immediately," Trance said.   
  
"And then send Normaf up to get him," Oberon added. "That would certainly be preferable to one of their spaceships coming down here." He opened the door and was almost completely through the threshold when he stopped yet again. "Oh, and one other thing," he added.   
  
"What?!" Trance asked.   
  
"Should you decide to marry Harper, and should he still be willing, the wedding will take place tomorrow, as planned."   
  
"I know."   
  
"Well, should you decide that you would like to invite some guests of your own, feel free to extend an invitation to the rest of your friends aboard Captain Hunt's starship," the king said with a warm smile. "We can consider it a necessary first step in the development of foreign relations." Trance's only response was shocked silence.   
  


*************************************************

  
  
"How does that song go?" Harper muttered as he stumbled along the roof of King Oberon's castle, using the crenellations to balance himself with his right hand, as he took long swigs out of a bottle held in his left. "Farewell and adieu to you fair Martian ladies," he sang slowly. "Farewell and adieu, you ladies of Mars. For we've received orders, for to set off for…" his voice trailed off as he looked around. "Where the hell am I, anyway?"   
  
"Avalon," a voice called out from the black night. "The planet is called Avalon." Harper looked quickly to his left, almost throwing his inebriated body off-balance with the speed of his movement.   
  
"Who's there?"   
  
"Just me," the voice replied as a figure strolled into view, seeming to emerge from out of a shadow created at the edge of a low-burning torch's light. It took a few moments for Harper to focus his eyes, but eventually he recognized Puck. "You seem rather drunk, Mr. Harper," the faerie commented offhandedly.   
  
"So what if I am?" Harper asked. "The big fuzzy orange guy in the kitchen said this stuff wouldn't give me a bit of a hangover tomorrow. He said it's magical."   
  
"Then I guess it is," Puck commented, "at least, I would expect so if that's what Timmeron told you."   
  
"He didn't tell me his name," Harper said.   
  
"Well, he _is_ big and orange, and he does work in the kitchen, but he's not at all fuzzy, from what I remember, although I guess it's possible someone decided to punish him for something by making him work in the kitchen with a fur coat. Or is it that you were drinking even before you met old Timmeron?"   
  
"Well, a little," Harper admitted. "I asked the guards for something to drink, and they brought me mead. Never had that before…"   
  
"Wonderful stuff, it is," Puck said, "though I suspect that the pixie dew you're drinking now will indeed cause you far less pain tomorrow."   
  
"What, is mead bad?" Harper asked.   
  
"There's little in heaven and earth that is worse than a mead hangover," Puck said. "With all luck, the pixie dew will help cleanse the mead from your system."   
  
"Great."   
  
"So I presume by your current self-destructive mood that you have spoken with Princess Trance," Puck guessed.   
  
"Don't call her a _princess_," Harper said, almost wincing at the word. He hated to be reminded that she was royalty, that there was even more than the obvious that made her way out of his league.   
  
"But she _is_ a princess," the faerie pointed out.   
  
"Not to me she isn't," Harper retorted. "To me she's just the most amazing woman that ever lived, and the closest friend I ever had."   
  
"She is amazing, at that," Puck agreed, "and you're truly a lucky man if you can count a woman such as her as a friend."   
  
"Yeah, I guess," Harper replied, "but being my friend is getting her nothing but problems. I think she'd probably be better off if I just disappear and she never sees me again."   
  
"Oh really?" Puck asked curiously. "I certainly hope we're not heading for an 'It's a Wonderful Life' moment here."   
  
"What?" the human asked, unfamiliar with the movie that had been made millennia earlier.   
  
"Oh, sorry, I guess that was a bit before your time, wasn't it?" Puck said with a smirk. "All I mean, Mr. Harper, is that you've had a wondrous impact on Trance. She's a better person for having known you, of that much I can guarantee."   
  
"Oh really?" the engineer asked. "How was she back in the day?"   
  
"She was… different," Puck responded, obviously doing his best to avoid giving a direct answer. "Let's just say her personality was a bit darker when she initially left Avalon."   
  
"Darker?" Harper asked nervously, remembering the faint images he had seen while accessing the files a Perseid had downloaded into him. 'Darker' was certainly a word that could describe that image of Trance.   
  
"I'm not saying she was sinister or anything," Puck explained quickly. "Don't get the wrong idea or anything. I'm just saying she was a bit less concerned with the fate of those around her. She was far more like the rest of her people. I think being around humans was good for her."   
  
"But now she's gonna have to stay here for the rest of her life," Harper muttered. "She won't be around us anymore."   
  
"Why do you say that?" Puck asked. "I've heard the king gave Trance his blessing to marry you. Already the courtiers have been whipped up into a frenzy of gossip. The word 'scandal' is getting more use this night than it has in the previous century; and let me assure you, my friend, that's quite a feat in this palace." Harper cracked a thin smile at the comment. "So, Mr. Harper, I ask again - why do you say that Trance is going to stay amongst us?"   
  
"Because I can't marry her," he said miserably, fighting to control the emotions that the alcohol seemed to be enhancing. "Do you know the price that her father asked? He said she would have to give up immortality. For me. The whole idea is so asinine I can hardly even consider it."   
  
"Asinine?" Puck asked, obviously amused. "I would hardly say that. The king has bestowed a great gift on you, Mr. Harper. You just don't realize it, and I'll bet Trance doesn't, either, though I'm absolutely certain Oberon knew what he was doing, even if he explained it away somehow."   
  
"A gift?" Harper asked dubiously. "Are you crazy? She's giving up immortality."   
  
"And you only feel immortality's worth something because you're mortal," Puck shot back, his voice containing a hint of venom that surprised the human. "You have a limited lifespan, and as humans do with everything that's limited, you want more. You cannot even fathom that anyone could ever want less."   
  
"Less?" Harper asked, confused. "His inebriated mind was suddenly having trouble keeping up with the conversation.   
  
"I'm immortal," Puck replied, "and let me assure you that it isn't everything it's cracked up to be, especially where love is concerned."   
  
"Yeah, right," Harper said. "You expect me to believe that?"   
  
"Let me tell you a couple of stories, Mr. Harper," Puck commented, hopping up onto a crenellation with the greatest of ease, seemingly unconcerned that he sat precariously at the edge of a several hundred foot drop. "All I ask is that you never, ever, repeat what I'm about to tell you."   
  
"Fine," Harper responded, leaning back against the stone wall of the tower and taking a long gulp of the pixie dew. The liquid immediately sent a wave of warmth through his entire body, banishing the cold in his fingertips, replacing the numbing chill with a completely different lack of sensation altogether.   
  
"In my long lifetime, Mr. Harper, I have been in love only twice," Puck said. "Now, when I say 'in love,' I mean actually being in an intimate relationship where I care deeply about the other individual. I'm not referring to the casual two- or three-year dalliance."   
  
"And I'm sure there have been many of them," Harper said with a thin smile.   
  
"Actually, there have," Puck said quickly. "I have a way with women, Harper. It's almost too bad that you've already found someone. Otherwise, I could teach you some things that would make you one of the most wanted men in the known galaxies."   
  
"I bet," Harper replied, his smile growing broader as he imagined being the object of millions of women's desires.   
  
"Fine, doubt me if you must," Puck answered, "but you won't distract me from my tale. As I was saying, I've been in love twice. The first time was on Earth, when I fell in love with a human princess named Boadicea. She was a Celt in the British Isles, a woman with an absolute inferno that raged within her soul. Her will was so strong that she rose up against the Roman army that was occupying her ancestral lands, and others were inspired to follow her into battle. She was wonderful…" Puck's voice trailed off as he got a faraway gaze in his eyes, and Harper could only guess that the faerie was remembering some of the events for the first time in years. For several minutes absolute silence existed between the two men, with only the occasional zephyr to remind Harper that the world was still moving along around them.   
  
"So what happened?" Harper asked.   
  
"Eventually her insurrection was put down," Puck continued. "As strong as the Celts were, they were no match for the Roman legions. Boadicea's army was finally forced into a great battle, and her forces were crushed. She was captured and killed, and I could do nothing."   
  
"Why?"   
  
"There was an agreement between faeries that went back centuries, to the earliest days of the Mesopotamian city-states," Puck explained. "For several years two feuding clans of faeries used human armies to wage war against one another, until we all finally agreed to leave humans to their own devices when it came to warfare. Had I intervened in Boadicea's war, my people would have banished me from Earth, and I would have lost my love. As it turned out, I suffered that fate, anyway."   
  
"I'm sorry," Harper muttered.   
  
"I dwelt in misery for a long time," Puck admitted, "until one day I realized that thirty years had gone by since my love's death. It occurred to me that even had she not fallen in her defiance against Rome so many years earlier, by that time she still would likely have been dead."   
  
"And that made you feel better?" Harper asked.   
  
"Strangely enough, it did," Puck admitted. "At least a little, anyway. I realized that my relationship with a mortal was destined to end with her death, and that the date of her demise, whether it had been thirty years earlier or later, meant very little to one that would likely live for millennia. You see, Harper, she would have grown old and died soon enough, anyway. I would never have been allowed the eternity of bliss that I had wanted so badly. By stripping Trance of her immortality, the king has freed her of the curse of being powerless against the ravages of time that will doubtlessly beset your mortal shell. Rather than watch you waste away and finally cease to be, Trance will be able to share the experience with you."   
  
"And you think that's a good thing?" Harper asked.   
  
"Would you have her left alone once you're gone, to have an eternity to dwell upon what she's lost?" Puck asked. "That seems far crueler than simply allowing her to grow old and die with the man she loves."   
  
"Well why not just make me immortal, too?" Harper asked. "If you guys can make Trance mortal, there has to be some way to me immortal."   
  
"Of course there is," Puck said, "but that would be the worst punishment of all."   
  
"How do you figure?" Harper asked quizzically.   
  
"Mortality is such a wondrous thing, Mr. Harper," Puck said. "Because you die, you have the freedom to dream that love can last forever. This brings me to my second tale, the story of my love with another of my own people. Her name was Tamina, and she had the smoothest pink skin, the brightest blue eyes, and the perkiest… oh, sorry," Puck muttered, as if he was suddenly surprised that Harper standing before him, listening to him reminisce. "Anyway, Tamina was beautiful, and intelligent, and funny, and passionate…"   
  
"I get the point," Harper said. "She was pretty much perfect."   
  
"No, she had one great flaw," Puck admitted. "She was immortal. I met Tamina maybe a century or so after Boadicea died, and she and I were together for over a thousand wondrous years. Then something curious happened."   
  
"What?" Harper asked.   
  
"We visited Earth again," Puck explained. "See, we had both been among the last to leave Earth, hanging around until humans were well into the Inquisition. We came here to Avalon for awhile, and then went back to Earth for a few years. We visited a country called the United States, which was on a continent that most humans didn't even know existed when I had left so many years before. There was a huge war going on, the biggest one the world had ever known. Cultures were clashing all across the globe, struggling for dominance, and then the United States dropped a nuclear device on one of its enemies. Displaying traditional human stubbornness, the United States' enemy continued to resist until a second bomb was dropped. After that, the war ended."   
  
"And?"   
  
"And Tamina was aghast at it all," Puck explained. "She loved life with a passion I don't have the words to describe. To have seen humans behave with such a callous disregard for each other and their world, well… she insisted on leaving immediately. I couldn't understand it. From my point of view, humans had finally grown up. They had learned to split the atom, and finally had the power to completely erase their species' existence if they weren't careful. For the first time in their history, humans were forced to be responsible with their destructive abilities. They were forced into developing the maturity that they would need to one day walk amongst the stars. I wished to stay, to see how it all worked out. Tamina insisted on leaving."   
  
"So what did you do?" Harper asked eagerly.   
  
"We went our separate ways, Mr. Harper," Puck said. "I still cared for Tamina, in fact I care for her even now, though we rarely see each other, but the true love that we had felt had faded away over the years. Eventually, our desire to follow our own hearts elsewhere outweighed our desire to stay together. So I ask you, Mr. Harper, which do think is worse - allowing two lovers to die while still in the heat of their passion, or to allow them to outlive their feelings, and eventually go their separate ways because their love perished, while they yet lived?"   
  
"I never thought about it like that," Harper admitted.   
  
"Of course you didn't," Puck responded evenly. "Why contemplate matters that could never apply to you? I know you may not believe me now, but one day you will. What you see as a punishment from the king is actually a wondrous boon; he realizes that, even if you and Trance do not."   
  
"So you're saying I should be grateful that Trance is going to be made mortal?" Harper asked dubiously.   
  
"Precisely," Puck assured him. "Trance wants to marry you, and you want to marry her. Such feelings do not develop often. In fact, I would doubt you'll ever see true love cross your path again. It seems foolish to turn your back now, just because of a little detail like mortality."   
  
"Maybe," Harper said, considering the faerie's words carefully. "So you think I should marry Trance, even with the price she'll be forced to pay?"   
  
"I think you should allow her to make this decision herself," Puck replied. "I can understand your position, Mr. Harper, but the fact is that it's Trance's immortality to surrender if she wishes. Has she expressed her intentions?"   
  
"She wants to do it," Harper said.   
  
"Then let her," Puck said. "Be there for her, both now and in the years to come, and don't ever look back, Mr. Harper. You've been offered a lifetime of happiness, even if that lifetime is only to last for a few decades. I don't see how you, or she, could ever refuse such a gift."   
  
"I guess," Harper said hesitantly.   
  
"Let me suggest you go back to your quarters," Puck said suddenly. "It seems you'll be getting married tomorrow, Mr. Harper, and I'm sure you don't want to look bleary-eyed in front of your friends."   
  
"My friends?"   
  
"The people from Andromeda were invited down here for the wedding," Puck said. "They'll be there, as will at least a thousand of my own people. Looking at you right now, I can only guess at the amount of beauty sleep you'll require to look presentable tomorrow morning."   
  


*************************************************

  
  
_Make sure you go to your quarters early_, Tyr remembered Dylan advising him. _And once you're there, don't start wandering about,_ he had added. _We don't want to make ourselves more unwelcome here than we already are._ Tyr could only grin at Dylan's words. The Nietzschean had rarely been welcome anywhere, and saw no reason why he should start behaving any differently now.   
  
He stood completely silently in the dark alcove, allowing the shadows to conceal his body while he concentrated on slowing his breathing as much as he could. He focused his mind on his sense of hearing, listening for the slightest sound even as his eyes continually scanned the hallway outside Harper's room. He did not find it surprising that on this world where humans were obviously so unwelcome that there wasn't a single guard within thirty meters of Harper's quarters, despite the fact that it was all too foreseeable that someone would be desperate to stop the princess from marrying a human.   
  
For hours Tyr stood impassively. Then, finally, he heard the slow, muffled sound of footsteps. _Someone's trying to be as quiet as possible,_ Tyr knew. He had heard the sound far too many times not to know that someone was up to something. The footfalls grew slightly louder as they approached, though Tyr noted that whoever was approaching was being silent enough to have avoided detection by any normal human. Then a slightly built figure concealed beneath a dark brown cloak moved into view and stopped outside Harper's door.   
  
Slender red fingers appeared from within the sleeve and reached into a pocket, withdrawing a small vial.   
  
"I hope you aren't about to do something regrettable," Tyr growled as he stepped menacingly from the shadows. The cloaked figure, obviously startled, whirled in his direction, replacing the vial back within the folds of his cloak as he moved.   
  
"Leave here, mortal," a raspy voice ordered. "This has absolutely nothing to do with you."   
  
"I beg to differ," Tyr snapped back.   
  
"Beg all you want," the cloaked figure replied, "but it will change nothing."   
  
"You intend Harper some harm," Tyr concluded, crossing his arms over his chest, scowling as he flexed the muscles in his arms. He knew he was imposing that way.   
  
"And there are those that say humans are stupid," the man shot back mockingly.   
  
"You're the man Trance was supposed to marry," Tyr presumed.   
  
"Yes," Randex said, pulling back his cowl, trying to unsettle Tyr with his lifeless stare. It didn't work. His hand went to his neck, and he produced a silver necklace with a large amber pendent. He muttered words that were unintelligible to Tyr, and the amber began to glow slightly. "This will make certain we can talk without disturbing anyone," the faerie assured him, only causing Tyr to become more wary than he had already been. _If it'll cover the noise of our voices, I wonder if it will also cover whatever other noise he plans to make,_ Tyr mused, suddenly realizing that he might find out just how dangerous Trance's people could be.   
  
"You've come to eliminate the competition," the Nietzschean added.   
  
"And what if I am?" Randex replied.   
  
"Then it's probably no concern of mine," Tyr answered. "I'm a Nietzschean. I assume you've never heard of my people."   
  
"You look human to me," Randex spat.   
  
"The Nietzscheans are genetically engineered offshoots of humanity," Tyr explained. "We're about as perfect as human genetics can get."   
  
"That's not really saying a whole hell of a lot," Randex responded, a sarcastic sneer set well in place. "Thoroughbreds are the greatest horses in the galaxies, the product of millennia of selective breeding, but at the end of the day they're still only horses. Just like you're still only human, a sub-standard species that's only one evolutionary step up from monkeys. To be honest, I can only wonder that you can speak and manage to walk without dragging your knuckles on the floor."   
  
"Are you _trying_ to provoke me?" Tyr asked, unable to believe that Randex actually seemed to be picking a fight with him. It had been years since he had encountered anyone that had been so foolish. "I was going to let you proceed, but you're seriously beginning to try my patience."   
  
"You would let me proceed?" Randex asked dubiously. "Why would you do that?"   
  
"Because I'm Nietzschean," Tyr explained simply. "My people feel that only the strongest should have the right to mate. If you can defeat Harper, then more power to you. I see no reason to stand in the way of natural selection."   
  
"Some friend you are," Randex commented.   
  
"I don't remember ever saying that I'm Harper's friend," Tyr replied. He relaxed his shoulders and took a half-step away down the hall.   
  
"So then I'll just go into his room and take care of business," Randex said, taking the vial out of his pocket once again.   
  
"If you don't mind my asking, what is that?" Tyr asked, turning back slightly with a passive, curious look on his face.   
  
"It's poison," Randex said impatiently, "not that it's any of your business."   
  
"You plan to poison Harper?" Tyr asked incredulously. "You come from a species that uses magic on a daily basis, and is apparently all but immortal, and you're going to use poison?"   
  
"Yes," Randex replied. "What is it to you?"   
  
"You're a coward," Tyr growled, once again setting his posture threateningly.   
  
"Really?" Randex asked. "Does that mean you're back to protecting your non-friend again?"   
  
"It means I have no use for weaklings who use chemicals to do their dirty work for them," Tyr said. "If you don't even have the strength to face a human, then you have no right to someone like Trance."   
  
"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?" Randex asked. Tyr's immediate response was to land a thunderous punch on the faerie's jaw.   
  
"No," Tyr snarled, glaring down at his shocked adversary. Randex's head darted slightly side to side as he appeared to struggle to gain his bearings. "You're pathetic," Tyr taunted, kicking Randex in the chest.   
  
"And you're a dead man," Randex hissed. He lunged at Tyr, only managing to grab the Nietzschean's thigh as he struggled to rise halfway to his feet. Tyr stifled a cry of pain as he felt the faerie's hand burn into his flesh, searing through his breaches and immediately blistering the skin as Tyr stumbled back, out of Randex's reach. The faerie then stood to his feet and flashed a menacing smile at his foe.   
  
"I may have planned to use poison, but that doesn't mean I'm weak," he muttered. "It just means that I'm smart, which is something you are obviously not." He raised a hand, producing a small ball of flame that he then hurled in Tyr's direction. With the faerie standing only a few feet away, the Nietzschean had no chance to dodge the attack. The globe of fire erupted in a blast of heat, and moments later Tyr could smell the sickening scent of burned hair and skin. His arms were beginning to blister with the same speed his leg had, and as he continued to cut back to his right, he could tell that a great deal of his hair had been burned off.   
  
Bouncing off the wall, Tyr then lunged at Randex, landing a crushing blow in the center of the faerie's forehead. Randex stumbled again, but this time Tyr followed up on his initial success, grabbing the back of Randex's head as he landed several overwhelming strikes with his free elbow, cracking bone and teeth and reducing the faerie's face to a gory mess. The Nietzschean then stood silently for several moments, straining his ears to hear anyone's approach. There was nothing. He could only presume that the amber pendant had magically stifled the noise the two had made during their confrontation.   
  
Grabbing the faerie by his matted, blood-soaked hair, Tyr gazed deeply into Randex's eyes, satisfied at the fear he saw there. "You will never, _ever_, go anywhere near Mr. Harper again," he spat furiously, gritting his teeth, fighting to prevent betraying the amount of pain that was shooting through his scorched flesh. Tyr's agony only increased with every passing second that he wasn't solely focused on injuring his opponent. "You will walk away down the hall, and you will make certain you tell no one of what just happened here. You will forget your claims to Trance Gemini, and you will never even consider contacting her. Is that understood?" Randex nodded his head weakly, and Tyr released his vice-like grip, allowing Randex's battered body slump to the floor. "I told you to walk away," Tyr growled, not allowing the scheming faerie a chance to gather himself enough to resume the fight. Mustering strength from somewhere deep inside, Randex rose to his feet and stumbled back the way he had come, never looking back at the Nietzschean that watched him go.   
  
Once Randex was out of sight, Tyr returned to his hiding place in the shadows and slumped into a crouch with his back to the corner. _Only two more hours_, he told himself, digging deep within to find the resolve he would need to tolerate the excruciating pain until people started to wake up. _Two more hours, and I can go tend to my wounds._   
  


*************************************************

  
  
Harper's head swam as he stood facing Trance, a slight breeze carrying the scent of lilacs in the air and cooling his skin in defiance of the strong, hot sunlight. Try as he might, he found it almost impossible to focus on his surroundings - it almost felt like he had stepped into a dream. Trance had warned him the wedding could be a bit disorienting, but he had never expected this.   
  
_Weddings are extremely rare among my people_, she had told him. _As a result, they're very special occasions. Some of the most powerful of my people will be there, and they'll be rather… expressive._ Harper had wondered what she meant, and all Trance could say was that her people projected their emotions and their lifeforces around them at all times in a way most other species did not. It was part of their magic, and enhanced the natural beauty of their world, just as Trance's presence had done wonders for Andromeda's hydroponics garden. A human might not notice the effect when confronted by a small number of her people, but in large groups, like they were now, humans were inevitably going to become unsettled.   
  
Struggling to focus, Harper looked to his left, where Dylan, Rev, and Tyr were standing next to him. Dylan looked stoic as always, though Harper was certain his captain's perceptions were as muddled as his own were. Rev also seemed distracted, though more so by the awe-inspiring view atop Sunrise Bluff than by the effect of Trance's people. Tyr, surprisingly, looked somewhat glassy-eyed. Harper also noted that Tyr had shaved his head for some reason. Having his hair trimmed back to only about a centimeter's length made the Nietzschean seem even more menacing than ever.   
  
Leaving his contemplation of his friends aside for the moment, Harper turned back toward Trance, trying to focus on her glimmering eyes looking back at him.   
  
-------------------------------------------------   
  
Trance was also almost completely overwhelmed by the moment. Ever since she had been old enough to understand the concept of marriage, she had dreaded her wedding day. The reason was obvious - she had no desire to have her parents choose the one with whom she would spend eternity. Had she ever guessed that she would be permitted to choose her own husband, and that she would care about him as much as she cared about Harper, she would have longed for this moment as much as so many of her friends always looked forward to their own weddings.   
  
Glancing to her right, she saw the proud smile on Beka's face. Though Trance was certain Beka was unable to understand most of the ceremony, she was obviously absolutely delighted to be present. Jasmine also seemed thrilled, and every few seconds the faerie looked off into the gathered throng, smiling and winking at individuals in the assemblage, loving the fact that she was garnering almost as much attention as Trance, herself, was. Behind Jasmine, Rommie stood impassively, her synthetic eyes taking in everything around her, completely oblivious to the empathic effect of Trance's people.   
  
She turned to face forward once again, allowing her gaze to settle upon the druid that was performing the ceremony. High Priest Conchybar, the head of the Druidic Order of Dana, was reciting from memory the ancient incantations used to celebrate the joining of two beings. It was the second of his responsibilities that day, having first undertaken the ritual that stripped Trance of her immortality, instead bestowing upon her the lifespan of an average human woman. As great as the effect had been, however, Trance had seen the morning event as insignificant compared to the wedding ceremony. For this there were over a thousand faeries present, while the morning ritual permitted only three - Conchybar, Trance, and Oberon. Trance did not react well to having an audience.   
  
The high priest continued to ramble on in his native tongue, which Trance knew none of her guests could understand. She had promised to get a copy of Rommie's visual recording and provide a translation within a month. For the time being, she simply had to hope that they stayed conscious.   
  
-------------------------------------------------   
  
Harper's mind continued to wander until his thoughts were interrupted by a high-pitched keening wail coming from behind him. He turned quickly, and saw that Trance's mother was saying something. Though he couldn't understand the words, he realized that within moments he would be expected to speak. The Queen continued for only a few brief seconds, and then Conchybar gazed at Harper for a long moment before launching into a long verse that seemed to flow with the entertaining pace of iambic pentameter. The high priest unexpectedly stopped speaking, and Harper waited just long enough to make certain the old faerie was done. Then, with a broad smile on his face, he said, "I do." _And that's all that's going to be required of me here,_ he thought with tremendous relief.   
  
-------------------------------------------------   
  
Having finished with Harper, Conchybar then turned to Trance, who had to make a conscious effort to hide the shaking in her legs. She hardly heard the words that the old druid spoke, instead making certain that she listened for the one word that was her own cue to speak. She didn't want to get so wrapped up in the poetry of the early druids that she embarrassed herself by forgetting to give her own response. Finally she heard it, and said, "I do," in English, so that Harper could understand her as she spoke. Her lips spread wide in a delighted smile, and she looked at her new husband, seeing a look of wonderment in his eyes.  
  
Conchybar began to speak more quickly, his voice becoming more melodious until Trance finally realized that at some point the high priest had begun singing, concluding the ceremony with the Ode to Life, the traditional song of faerie weddings. Minutes later, the ceremony was complete, and Trance and Harper turned to face the collected faces of her people. _Finally it's over_, she thought with a satisfied sigh. _Now my life can truly begin._   
  


*************************************************

  
  
Trance fought hard to suppress the wide smile she wanted to display on her face. Instead, she attempted to remain as nobly impassive as possible, though she knew she was failing. Not that it mattered, though. Even her father seemed pleased, speaking with several of the courtiers and letting slip an occasional chuckle.   
  
"I'm so happy for you," Trance heard Beka say from behind her. The princess whirled and came face to face with the human woman.   
  
"Thank you," Trance said, beaming with glee.   
  
"You looked beautiful up there," Beka commented. "That material," she added, reaching forward and touching the iridescent gown that Trance was wearing, "what is it?"   
  
"It's gossamer," Trance answered. "It's a specially enchanted material that's used only for brides. It's almost completely weightless… in fact it sorta feels like I'm not wearing anything at all."   
  
"You think there's any way I can get my hands on some of that?" Beka asked.   
  
"I doubt it," Trance replied. "Even my father had some trouble getting enough to make this gown. There are only two people on the planet that still know how to make it, and they demand exorbitant amounts of money and favors in exchange for small amounts."   
  
"Do you have any idea how much I could make selling that stuff off-world?" Beka asked with a gleam in her eye. "In only a year I'd probably never have to work again."   
  
"And then what would you do?" Trance asked, crossing her arms and looking deep into the human's eyes. "Wouldn't you get bored, not having anything to do?"   
  
"Oh, there's always something to do," Beka replied.   
  
"Which reminds me of something very important," Dylan's voice cut in as he joined the two women. "I'd really like to talk with you when you get a chance," he said to Trance.   
  
"Talk away," the princess responded happily. "I'm ever at your service."   
  
"Well, I just want to know if you plan on staying here, coming back aboard Andromeda for awhile, or if you have somewhere else in mind."   
  
"Why wouldn't I stay aboard?" Trance asked. "Aren't I still welcome?"   
  
"Of course you are," Dylan said, "but if you and Harper are planning on starting a family, I kinda thought you might prefer to live somewhere safer."   
  
"There is nowhere safer," Harper said as he also walked over and joined the conversation. "The universe is a mess, Dylan. Nietzscheans are prowling around, subjugating everyone they can, and don't forget there's an army of Magog getting closer every day. I don't know what Trance has planned as far as a family goes, but if we ever have one, I'd like them to enjoy a safer life than I ever had. That means I support you now more than I ever did."   
  
"Me, too," Trance added.   
  
"Well, I would expect you'll want a bit of a honeymoon, though," Dylan said. "I was thinking about giving everyone a week's shore leave here on Avalon. King Oberon said we're more than welcome to stay for awhile."   
  
"Great," Harper said. "A week here would be awesome. Trance and I can get some rest and relaxation, and then we'll be totally ready to go back out there."   
  
"Congratulations," Rommie said to Harper and Trance as she walked over to the group.   
  
"Thanks, Rommie," Trance said with a smile. "Anything we can do for ya?"   
  
"Well, I'll admit I do have one question," the android said. "Are you planning on changing your designation, Trance?"   
  
"Excuse me?" the faerie asked, completely confused.   
  
"Are you still Trance Gemini, or are you Trance Harper now?" Rommie clarified. "I'd just like to keep it straight in my crew manifest."   
  
"Umm… I don't know," Trance admitted. "I hadn't even thought about it."   
  
"Well, you don't really look like a Harper," the engineer pointed out. "You're skin's the wrong shade of purple, I think. Why don't you just keep your own name?"   
  
"You sure?" Trance asked, wanting to be certain that her husband didn't mind her not taking his surname.   
  
"Absolutely," the human assured her.   
  
"But any kids will have your name," Trance said.   
  
"Lots of little Harpers," Beka said with a wicked smirk. "I can't wait to see them crawling around in the hydroponics garden."   
  
"What?" Rommie suddenly interrupted. "No one said anything about children aboard."   
  
"Is there a problem?" Dylan asked.   
  
"I'm a warship, not a slipstream-capable nursery," Rommie shot back. "I'm not sure it would be appropriate to have children aboard."   
  
"We'll work it all out," Dylan assured his ship's avatar. "Harper and Trance are members of our crew, and they may end up having children. That's not a problem, Rommie. Look at it this way - it'll help increase the crew complement."   
  
"That's not entirely what I had in mind," the android groused as she walked away.   
  
"Dylan, I don't want to be a problem," Trance said immediately.   
  
"Oh, it's not a problem," the captain assured her. "Didn't you see the look in Rommie's eyes? She's thrilled, but she's too uncomfortable with the idea of showing it. Everything will work out - you'll see."   
  
"I hope so," Trance muttered. "I really want it to be possible to stay on Andromeda."   
  
"If it's possible for Tyr to get some action at a faerie wedding reception, it's definitely possible for Andromeda to be fine with children on board," Beka said as she pointed over toward her Nietzschean crewmate standing next to Jasmine. The faerie bridesmaid was fawning over Tyr, seeming to be more comfortable in his presence than anyone had likely ever been.   
  
"Oh, now I've seen everything," Harper said with a smile.   
  
"Well, maybe not everything," Trance whispered into his ear as she leaned in to give her husband a kiss on the cheek. "There's still the wedding night, you know." 

_  
  
Fin _

  
  
Jaimi/Nevermore Copyright@2001-2002 


End file.
